Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. 

The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds. 

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Holy Scriptures have helped countless people for millennia come to know of God's love and desire for all of God's children to receive salvation. In Paul's 2nd Letter to Timothy, he wrote about some of the different ways that Scripture helps people know what it means to live with, and for, God...

1) Scripture teaches about God's heart and expectation for us. Jesus specifically taught about love and commanded it for His followers; he said in John 13.34-35: "I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples."

2) Scripture helps us see we are not islands unto ourselves. In Galatians 6.2, we see that we put Christ's command to love into practice when we help others: "You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand."

3) Scripture corrects us when we are wrong, even though we don't like it. Proverbs 15.31 illustrates why accepting correction is essential: "Healthy correction is good, and if you accept it, you will be wise"

4) Scripture shows us how to live while we are on the proverbial road with God. Consider what we read in Micah 6.8: "The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands: 'See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God.'"

5) Scripture encourages us to perform good deeds, not to show how good we are, but to show how good God is. Consider what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.16: "Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven."

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, claimed to be a man of "one book." This doesn't mean he didn't appreciate other writings — not at all, because he was extremely well read — but he did believe in the doctrinal concept of "Sola Scriptura," a Latin phrase that means Scripture contains everything needed to understand our need for a Savior, and how God provided that in Jesus Christ. 

I shared some of my favorite passages relevant to the points in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What are some of yours?

L.O.V.E.

Did you know that I am currently writing a daily devotion, typically based on the verse of the day from the YouVersion Bible app? You can check out today's devotion below, and follow along (as well as reading archived ones from all of 2016) by visiting my Facebook page. 

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”John 13:34-35 (The Message)

The entire Gospel in one word: LOVE. It is in love that God created the world, and in love that He saves the world. It is in love that Jesus was sent, and in love that Jesus was sacrificed. It was in love that Jesus spoke, and it was in love that Jesus served. There should be no mystery whatsoever that the ultimate commandment to love has a double edge: LOVE God with all you are and have, and LOVE your neighbor as you love self (Mark 11:28-30). I developed an acrostic to help me think about what it truly means to LOVE; check it out...

• Love Lasts: it isn't conditional or fickle; true love lasts, even when it's hard.
• Love Overwhelms: it consumes the discretion and direction of your life; true love overwhelms you for the sake God and others.
• Love makes us Vulnerable: it requires us to put ourselves "out there," even though we might be taken for granted or hurt; even God became vulnerable in sending Jesus.
• Love grows Exponentially: we have an unlimited ability to love; we need not divide our love when others come into our lives, for our ability to love grows exponentially the more opportunities we have to love. 

Living lives of true love lasts, extending beyond time and space; overwhelms, changing the way we look at others in our lives; makes us vulnerable, requiring us to put ourselves "out there" regardless of what might come back to us in return; and exponentially expands with the opportunities we have to love. I love the verses in 1 John 5:1-3* that say we show our love for God in how we love God's children by following God's commandment. And what was the commandment given by Jesus? "Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

*"If we believe that Jesus is truly Christ, we are God’s children. Everyone who loves the Father will also love his children. If we love and obey God, we know that we will love his children. We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow." (1 John 5:1-3)

9 Months Later and We're Still Dancing

Dear Mia,

It's been 9 months. 9 months ago today your mommy and I held you for the very first time, and we celebrated this milestone at Scottish Rite for tests and evaluation. The good news is we got great news, because you are doing so well, really making some major strides developmentally. And while I carried you around the hospital, it took me back to that day 9 months ago when mommy and I were in the Hubei Child Welfare Center in Wuhan, China wondering what you would be like. The weight of the silence was broken with the "ding" of an elevator, alerting us that someone arrived. That wasn't just any ole someone, it was you, carried by your favorite nanny, Lei! Ever since that moment, all of our lives are radically different. It hasn't always been easy, but it's definitely worth it.

It's been quite a while since a longer update, but things are really changing for you in the time since you arrived home, and there are quite a few important things to share. For starters, things really began to shift in February when we realized you had an abscessed tooth, seemingly causing the systemic infection your doctors couldn't quite isolate. After the surgery to remove that wretched thing, it seemed like someone turned the key to a lock in your brain. The very next day you started speaking and using the words we believed were in that noggin of yours all along. After that experience, though, you still battled some confounding illnesses that defied treatment. 

During the trial and error treatment period, we (finally!) learned you are allergic to the dairy protein, casein, which goes a long way in explaining some of the health issues you experienced. You were initially diagnosed with one ailment, and the doctors told us to give you lots of yogurt to help your digestion improve after being torn up due to months of antibiotics, but that turned out to be a bad idea. A very bad idea. All the protein in the yogurt — not to mention the milk you drank, enjoyed on your cereal, and loved in your ice cream — just kept making you sicker and sicker. Thankfully, you have a pediatrician who was relentless in finding out what was wrong, and blood work revealed the allergy. Since cutting out milk, it's like you are a different person. Learning that a casein allergy can mimic and exacerbate symptoms of more troubling diagnoses seemed to be the ingredient in a recipe you should have been missing all along. Learning of that allergy and making changes to your diet is putting you on a path to wellness you have never before experienced. And you know what? It's fun to see, and the more you learn, it's fun to hear.   

One of the most common questions we field regarding your development revolves around how well you're leaning English. Mommy and I can emphatically say that your language is much improved. You are beginning to put words together to better communicate with us, which at times requires some deciphering, but is always encouraging. It's adorable hearing your little toddler mouth shape sounds in an attempt to communicate in a new language. Yes, we still get a whine and a grunt every now and then, but even when we tell you to "use your words," you reply with an emphatic, "words," to let us now you're at least trying. For example, the other day after I got home from the office, you were in your room playing after a nap. I went up to get you, and when I entered your room, I noticed you changed out of out of your clothes into your...ahem..."birthday suit." When I asked you where your clothes were, you answered, "Hiding!" I laughed then as I laugh now, recording that memory. You seem to have a knack for comedy, and as you get the linguistic skills to accompany your well-timed instincts, it makes for a rather entertaining combination. 

It's sweet to hear you attempt to use your words, but there is one dialect that became comfortable for you well before English, and that is what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow referred to as the universal language: music. You, without a doubt, are one of the most musically inclined children I have ever seen. Music has a way of penetrating some of those recessed areas in your brain that were asleep due to sensory deprivation, and awakening them to aid in your learning and understanding. For example, just a few minutes ago, I said the name, Mickey Mouse referring to a puzzle you were playing with, and you started singing the "Hot Dog" song from the tv show, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." The association you made is really impressive, and points to the high-level intelligence we were told you have by your caregivers in China. From your musicality, to your cheerful disposition, to your tenacity in dealing with the layered health issues you've battled, you amaze us every day. 

You do indeed amaze us, and through that, we ourselves are changed. There is no doubt your life is transformed, and it is a blessing to behold. It's fairly common for people who interact with us out in the community to say what a blessing we've been for you. I hope you do indeed feel that way, though we know this will ebb and flow over the years. But something I want you to know is the blessing is ours because of how you've changed your whole family. Your presence in our home and in our lives has helped us find a capacity for patience and purpose I don't think we even knew existed. Seriously. The huge love for living that you exude in your tiny body has helped your mommy and me experience an inspiring joy quite unlike anything else. From the time I felt a deepening call to "defend the cause of the fatherless" as Isaiah 1:17 puts it, to when you reclined on me during lunch today as though to ask for a comforting closeness following a scary morning at the hospital, I am learning in all new ways what it means to not only be a dad, but your dad. But that's not all.

When I see you and your Náh-na (your name for Ethan) together, it fills me with a love and pride I never knew I could feel. Seriously. You might know he was a little standoffish at first, trying to figure out how your addition would change our family dynamic. In the 9 months since you've been home, though, you won his heart. When you see him first thing in the morning or right after he gets home from school, and you yell out Náh-na with some crazy exuberance, he emits a smile that originated in his precious heart. You love to sit with him on the couch and watch cartoons, go to the neighborhood park with him to play on the jungle gym, roll around with him on the floor, and I seriously think your favorite times of all (and yes, even more so than mealtimes) are when the four of us snuggle together on our big bed. 

You embrace the togetherness of family, even though it's only been yours for less than a year. It reminds me of leaving the Taco Bell in Cartersville after a day of house-hunting a couple weeks ago when you just glowed with a radiant smile and let out a big belly laugh. I said to you, "There's nothing quite like family, and we are yours." I guess the look on your face could have been a gassy side effect from your supper, but, no, I'm pretty sure you had a moment in your daddy's arms, flanked by your mama and Náh-na, when you knew you were right where you belonged. And you know what? You are. 

On our way home that night, we had the radio blaring, because again, you love music. A certain song came on that you really seem to enjoy, and you immediately broke out into your awesome groovy dance moves where you flap your arms like a bird, then punch your arms straight out in front of you, followed by pumping your fists into the air with a deft wrist turn, before placing the backs of your hands together and pointing your fingers downward in an up-and-down thrusting movement. You just danced and danced along to that song in perfect rhythm, and I realized we were all dancing with you as though it were a planned flash mob...all four of us dancing your moves, in our van, cruising down the interstate, while communicating with each other in the universal language of music. It was in that moment, your family dancing together with you in perfect rhythmic synchronization, that it was obvious how you have changed our lives. A simple sublime moment that declared to the cosmos that even though you were born in a place some 8,000 miles away and 3+ years before coming home, you ended up right where you belong. In your place. In "Mia's Place."

We love you, Dear Mia. You are a sweet, silly, and smart little girl who keeps us in stitches with your antics and amazed with your potential. Things will change some as we make our move to a new home in Cartersville, saying goodbye to old friends and making many new ones, which will undoubtedly be easier with your charming assistance. There will be more times where we will travel the road together between Bartow and Coweta counties until our house in Newnan sells, and I am sure that passers by will see our van rocking back and forth and up and down with four people doing some sweet toddler-inspired moves. In those times — here in Newnan, there in Cartersville, and everywhere in between — I hope and pray people will crack a little smile as they realize that it is just you and your crew, the Jordan family, doing what families do. Serving, sharing, and shining for Jesus. Together.

Love, 

Dad

My Best Last Place Finish

This past Saturday was the 4th Annual RACE for the Orphans. Last year's event played a major role in helping Tiffany and me get Mia home. After the blessings of last year, we wanted to help to sponsor the RACE to aid this year's four grant recipients get their children home (three from China and one from Ethiopia). 

RACE is an acronym which stands for Raising Awareness Compassion and Education for what Isaiah 1:17 refers to as "defending the cause of the fatherless." There are more than 150 million orphans in the world, and many (if not most, sadly) will never know the love of a family. Orphan care is a biblical mandate, and even though not everyone is called to take orphaned children into their homes, we are all called to do something to help assist in the crisis. And when I think about our church's mission to make disciples of Jesus here, there, and everywhere for the transformation of the world, this event has the unique ability to make a difference for families right here in our community, as well aschildren across the world. 

More than 600 persons participated in this year's RACE for the Orphans. People of varying ages, physical abilities, and socioeconomic status all came together to do something to help defend the cause of the fatherless for the precious four children receiving families. Among the 600+ runners and walkers, about 20 from Cokes Chapel participated on race day. And among them, Kathy Bryant, Dee Croft, and Gage Warren all won medals for their times in their respective age categories. Congrats! 

I didn't run this year, choosing to stay with the rest of the family as we walked the course. This turned out to be a good call as Mia got squirrelly spending as much time as she did restrained in her stroller. We took our time enjoying the sunshine and cool morning air, we carried Mia some around the course (and Bobby Totten helped by carrying her the most!), and even took a break for a few minutes about half-way through so Mia could dance. I must admit that my competitive juices started flowing a couple times and I wanted to kick my speed up a gear or two, but in the end, the experience of sharing the event with my family and friends was sublime. 

As a result of our laborious pace around the Coweta Fairgrounds, our family was the last to complete the RACE. In a humorous way, I think the organizers were almost as happy to see us cross the finish line as the RACE winners, because they knew we were the last ones to come in off the course. And later in the day, Velda Graydon confirmed something I believed to be true...a dubious distinction to be sure...I was the very last one to cross the finish line. I officially was last in the RACE for the Orphans. But you know what? I wear it with pride. Many of the folks who participated were there last year when so much of the emphasis was on our Dear Mia, and for those who were there this year, I got to see them all as I crossed the finish line with our little girl. 

The purpose of the event is to bring people together to raise money to help "defend the cause of the fatherless," and this year I got to do it with a little girl who a year ago I was only able to hold in a picture. The significance of that fact is not lost on me. As four families are in the same basic spots we were a year ago, we enjoyed being in their cheering section as they strive to get their babies home to hold them in their arms. There is no doubt Tiffany and I can't bring another child into our home, at least not now, but we can rally and do something for those who are. 

I could probably crack a joke or two about how I deserve a "cow's tail" award, or misquote scripture by saying the last shall be first, but I don't want to, because of how meaningful the entire event was. And I quite possibly will run again next year, preventing me from last place again, but my heart probably won't feel quite the same. For as I stood there at the finish line, holding Mia and my beloved family, I know that we represented the fulfillment of last year's RACE: to help get orphaned children into their forever families. And you know what? My family is forever grateful.

Rev. Dr. Mark S. Jordan

pastormark28@gmail.com

Your Lion Strength

We concluded our Wizard of Oz themed series this past Sunday, exploring the Shema prayer. The Shema prayer is the foundational prayer of Judaism and served as the context for Jesus’ answer as to which was the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Each week in the series we took one of the four topics and explored biblical wisdom, using characters from The Wizard of Oz to help make it applicable. We love God with our heart when we follow God’s plan and purpose for our life. We love God with our soul when our mind, body, and will are integrated to live according to that purpose. We love God with our mind when we make the intentional decisions necessary to keep our soul integrated and keep our heart in line with God’s purpose. And as we concluded the series this past week, we talked about loving God with our strength.

The biblical languages give us some fascinating insight into what it means to love God with our strength. The connotation points to dealing with fire. On one hand it refers to using a poker to stir coals and embers to keep a fire hot. It also points to helping another person going through the proverbial fires of life by reaching into the circumstances — regardless of the heat — to show him or her the love of God. When thinking about loving God with our strength, I can boil it down to two words: follow through.

How many times have you felt an impulse to do or say something for someone as a way to glorify God? A get well card after an illness or a surgery. A meal after the death of a loved one. A note just to say hello and you care. They all count. Whenever you felt that impulse, did you act on it, or did you put it off and never get around to it? Loving God with our strength means we choose to follow through on the leadings of the Spirit.

Just as we face a battle within our hearts pertaining to following God’s will or our own, there is a similar spiritual battle being waged for the use of our strength. The deceiver begin to mess around with us when we do not initially follow through by causing us to feel guilty. All the “coulda, shoulda, wouldas” creep in and the longer we go without following through on our godly impulses, the guiltier we feel. Then, as a result of that guilt, we shy away from doing the things we should have done in the first place. What is curious about that, though, is frequently the potential recipient of our follow through wasn’t even aware of it; as a result, we deprive someone of a loving connection, and deprive ourselves the joy of performing a loving action. Guilt, therefore, is a major obstacle to our follow through, but it isn’t alone.

Fear is another major obstacle. Have you ever kept from showing or telling someone you care because you were afraid of rejection? Have you ever been afraid to share your faith for the same reason? Winston Churchill once said, “Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.” And all of a sudden, this concept of follow through fits brilliantly with the overarching development of our series: we have a constant internal struggle in our heart as to whether or not we will follow God’s purpose; our soul experiences integration when we make the decision to go God’s way; we must use our mind to make the intentional decision to keep going God’s way, even if it requires faith; and follow through with our strength to show we truly love God with all we have and are, and love neighbor as self.

In The Wizard of Oz, we see a great example from the Cowardly Lion as one who made the decision to follow through and do the right thing, even though he was scared. Sure, he had a moment when he needed to jump out of a window in the Emerald City, but he joined Dorothy on her quest to bring back the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West. Follow through! This brings to mind the great quote from Ambrose Redmoon: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” Courage helped the Lion find strength on his journey with Dorothy. Courage helped Jesus find strength in his journey to Calvary. Courage can help you find strength in your journey with God. Use that strength and follow through on the things God wants and needs you to do in response to the love He places in your life.

I had a blast following the proverbial yellow brick road, exploring Jesus’ greatest commandment and the Shema prayer. May it order and inspire us to listen to God, love God, and leave a legacy of love for God.

 “‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 

you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 11.29b-31, (NRSV)

Your Scarecrow Mind

We are working our way down the proverbial yellow brick road in our Wizard of Oz themed message series, exploring the Jewish Shema prayer. The crux of the Shema prayer is to listen to God, love God, and leave a legacy of love for God.  So far in our journey we explored what it means to love God with all our heart (choosing to live God’s way as opposed to our own) and soul (experiencing integration while living in our mortal bodies connected to the eternal nature of God), and this past week we considered what it means to love God with our minds.

God gave humanity the gift of reason. As the Scarecrow might say, some of us use it more skillfully or artfully than others, but we all are created with the ability to think. I believe God wants it this way so we can work out and wrestle with what it means to live in, and for, God. That is not to say this means we must understand everything, because there is definitive mystery in creation, but our ability to reason helps us to work out our salvation while also accepting things on faith.

In the Wesleyan tradition, reason serves as one of four major points for how we comes to experience life with God. This is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Scripture always leads the way, for in it is contained everything needed for salvation. Scripture is followed by tradition (the history of God’s intervention and interaction with humanity), and experience (a personal sense of God’s involvement in our own life) as we think about the truth that God’s love is available to all. I think it is safe to say that it is one thing to know this, but quite another to live that way.

In Romans 12:2 we read that we experience transformation by the renewing of our minds. This is such an important thing to consider, because it calls us to change the way we think. Let’s face it, the natural human inclination is to think first of self. If we take seriously Jesus’ teaching to love God first, then this means we must change that inherent thought pattern. Easier said than done, though, right? One of the reasons this is true has to do with a fairly universal defense mechanism in our brains. Our minds run constantly while processing information and stimuli in our environments. We only get limited facts, though, so our brains must fill in the gaps to complete the picture. Many of us will fill in those gaps with worst case scenarios as a way to steel ourselves against potential disturbing outcomes. It works as a defense mechanism by setting us up to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. What if we were to change this, though?

I imagine Jesus wants us to flip our natural way of thinking on its side so we hope first for the best and prepare secondly for the worst. I think Jesus wants us to take seriously the promises of Scripture that he is with us until the end of the age, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we renew our minds by thinking about God’s promises first, and respond accordingly to the love we receive through Christ, then we truly are transformed! Modifying the way we think will have a direct impact on the way that we live, as well as interact with, God and others. So when we read the instructions in Colossians 3 about setting our minds on things in heaven as opposed to earth, we will be reminded that we are joined with Christ in his death so we can enjoy his life. That, my friends is what our soul seeks (integration) and will soothe a troubled heart, so even when the going gets tough, we can keep going with God.

I hope you plan on joining us Sunday as we conclude this series exploring Your Lion Strength. 

Your Dorothy Soul

We are making our way down the proverbial yellow brick road in our Easter season worship series looking at Jesus’ teaching on the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Using the Jewish Shema prayer, Jesus’ response was to listen to God; love God; and leave a legacy of love for God by loving others. This past Sunday we explored the soul as the second part of Jesus’ teaching. 

The meaning of the soul in the biblical languages is the living breathing creature within our mortal and temporal bodies that connects us to the eternal. The first mention of the soul we see in Scripture comes when God created Adam, saying the Lord breathed into the nostrils of the pile of dust that was the first man and gave him life, or his soul, as it’s stated in the King James Version. The soul comes to us from God and has a very specific purpose: to integrate our mind, body, and will. We still find ourselves in the ongoing struggle within the heart between following God’s purposes or our own sinful and selfish desires. If we love according to God’s purposes, we experience the integration of mind, body, and will. If not, however, it is like throwing water on the Wicked Witch of the West and we experience dis-integration. 

Renowned theologian, Dallas Willard, describes integration like the components of a car all working together to get the driver from point A to B. The car is more than just an engine, transmission, suspension, etc., and all parts must work together for the vehicle to function properly. The soul serves as the steering wheel, because it takes into account the freedom of will to turn as needed. Dis-integration in a metaphor such as this would be something similar to wheels that are out of alignment. Keeping a vehicle moving in a straight line when the wheels are out of alignment requires constant over-correction, causes uneven wear and premature degradation of the tires. When we experience dis-integration – and in life this comes when a job is lost, a relationship breaks down, poor health, financial misery, etc. — we feel as though the world is coming unglued for us. This is precisely why Jesus said what He did in Matthew 11.28-30: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your [soul]. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)

Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God placed a bit of eternity in the human heart. This is what helps our soul connect our temporal existence to eternity in heaven. As a result, there is a sort of natural rhythm of dis-integration we experience when trying to fill the voids in life with anything other than God’s purposes. When we aim to fill those voids with money, power, sex, drugs/alcohol, toys, or pastimes, they might bring a moment or two of pleasure, but will never fulfill the longing that God placed within us. This is the essence of of Saint Augustine’s poignant quote, “You created us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

Dorothy Gale felt this pull when she failed to find meaning in her life with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Kansas. She longed for a place somewhere over the rainbow, thinking that’s where everything would make sense. Similar to how we might experience a metaphorical storm that rocks our world, the twister carried Dorothy to Oz. It didn’t take long, however, for her to realize that life was imperfect there, too, so she began to long for the place where she belonged so she could enjoy the life she had and the people with whom she shared it. The manifestations of her heart, mind, and strength in Oz — the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion — enabled Dorothy’s soul to once again find integration and joy right where she belonged. 

Are you experiencing dis-integration in life? Do you find your soul longing for a place on the other side of God’s promise to be with us forever? You can find it right here and right now in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus. Listening, loving, and living for Christ is the ultimate way to find rest for the soul. So take the necessary time to allow your soul to get re-integrated and learn from the One who placed the yearning in your heart to begin with. 

Have a great rest of the week, and I hope to see you Sunday as we explore Your Scarecrow Mind.

Your Tin Man Heart

This past Sunday we continued our journey down the "yellow brick road," exploring the nature of the heart in Jesus' teaching about loving God with all we have and are, and neighbor as self. In the biblical context, the heart is the emotional center of a person, but also the location of a great inner struggle between giving in to sinful desires, or following God's purposes. This is a daily battle, if not a constant struggle, so we must be mindful of the condition of our heart. 

The human heart is really in a predicament. In Jeremiah 17:9-10, we read: "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings." Jesus knew this to be true, not just from studying the Scripture, but because He could see into the human heart. He taught that the eyes are the window into the soul, but also that the mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart (Matthew 6:22, Luke 6:45) In other words, our words and deeds reveal the condition of our heart. If it is devious and perverse, what are we to do? Plain and simple, we need a new heart!

We do need a new heart, but this isn't something any one is capable of accomplishing on his or her own. Moving beyond the muscular organ that pumps blood and oxygen throughout the body, and back to the emotional center of a person, we need a brand new heart. In Psalm 51:10, we read a prayer for God to create a new heart in us and to renew a spirit within us that is loyal to God as opposed to our selfish whims. Part of Jesus' mission was to come and reveal to us the heart of God as one who wants to replace our sin-ridden heart with one of love, grace, and mercy. 

Considering our recent "Wizard of Oz" theme, the backstory of the Tin Woodman is really insightful. The Tin Woodman wasn't always a man made out of tin; no, his name was Nick Chopper, and he was in love with a maiden in Oz. The maiden worked for a family that was lazy and feared losing her to Nick, so the Wicked Witch of the East cursed Nick's ax, so that every time he was filled with fancy feelings for his fair fräulein, his ax would turn against him and lop of a part of his body. Nick was friends with the tin smith of Oz, who would fashion a new appendage for him to replace the one removed by the cursed ax. As Nick was overcome with feelings for the maiden, he lost himself and became a man solely made of tin. The problem? The tin smith could not make a tin heart...the "new" man needed someone wholly different to replace the heart. 

Let's face it, the curse of sin weighs heavily on us. We try to love, and make ourselves vulnerable by virtue, but sin dents, dings, and damages us. We easily could be left cold and hard as though we were made on tin, but this is not God's desire for us. God wants to create a new heart in you and renew your spirit so you are loyal to Him and not your sin nature. With a new heart and loyal spirit, you are able to engage the world for God with His love, knowing your ultimate home is somewhere far beyond the rainbow, but as close to you as the next beat of your redeemed and restored heart. 

Please come join us on Sunday as we continue our recent "Wizard of Oz" worship theme and explore "Your Dorothy Soul." 

To Listen...To Love...To Leave A Legacy

This past Sunday we began our journey down the yellow brick road in the first message in our new “Wizard of Oz” themed worship series. We took a great first step looking at part of the most important prayer in Judaism: the Shema.

The Shema prayer is lifted first thing in the morning and just before going to bed at night. It is also believed by some to be the last prayer many utter before passing away. The word, “shema,” is actually the Hebrew verb meaning, “to hear.” So basically, the first instruction in this prayer is to listen to God, but that isn’t all. The Shema goes on to instruct about love and legacy in how we pass this on to future generations. Listen, love, legacy — the components of the Shema prayer. Though the entire Shema prayer is rather long at three paragraphs, the part we are studying comes from Deuteronomy 4.6-9: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

In Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was once asked about which commandment was first or greatest, depending on the translation you read. There are some 613 commandments and laws form the Torah to the Talmud, so this was an entrapment question posed to Christ. In that exchange, when asked about the most important of all the commandments, Jesus turned the conversation on its ear by bringing up the concept of listening to God, loving God, and leaving a legacy for God. This is captured in Mark’s Gospel, 12.29-31: “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” In answering this question, Jesus argued for a forward looking view of living out faith as opposed to a rigid rear view.

The Biblical languages gives us some very powerful insight as to what Jesus meant when He focused on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as self. Consider the important insight we garner when we love God with all our…

• Heart: The seat in the center of one’s inward life — the place of human depravity or the sphere of divine influence. How will you find life, by living for self or living for God?
• Soul: The living breathing creature within us. We believe that when we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to breath new life into us. CS Lewis one said that you do not have a soul, but you are a soul! Your soul, therefore, is the living God within you that connects your mortal life to the eternal God.
• Mind: Our intellect, the place where we analyze, figure-out and plan things; the place where knowledge and understanding are analyzed to bring about a conclusion or decision. Living in faith doesn’t mean we check our brain at the door; rather it means that we engage our mind while considering the mystery of God.
• Strength: Our outward response in word and deed that brings together what happens internally among our heart, soul and mind. Its root meaning is using a fire poker to rake, move quickly, and turn-over hot coals. Basically, it means to keep the flames burning hot, or reaching into a fiery situation and turn things around or make them right. A picture is forming here: God does not want us to love Him with just parts of our being, but rather, will ALL of our being — every single moment of every single day.
• Neighbor as Self: Jesus answered this in His parable of the Good Samaritan as He taught that one’s neighbor is anyone within our spheres of influence. These are the people we meet different levels in our own local community, larger region, and people abroad.

We are called to listen to God, love God, and live in such a way as to leave a legacy of God for others. This requires us living wholly for God and the people God places in our life. As we continue down the yellow brick road, we will explore how the journey that Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion took transformed their understanding of heart, soul, mind, and strength/courage. I hope you will make plans to be present with us each week in this journey, because it promises to help us all deepen our appreciation for what it means to listen to God, to love God and others, and to leave a legacy of love by wholly engaging our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

God bless, and I hope to see you Sunday!

Pastor Mark

NATIONAL GET OVER IT DAY

You might know that I am a bit of a nut when it comes to these national special days. Did you know that today (March 9) is “National Get Over It Day”? National Get Over It Day was created in 2005 by Jeff Goldblatt who was struggling to get over a breakup. He started this day as a way to mentally make a break, get over something from the past, and commit to living anew. 

National Get Over It Day. Huh. How does that strike you, that there even is such a thing? Do you have something you’re struggling to get over? Does it help knowing there is actually a day set aside to make a clean mental and emotional break? Do you think it will work?

What if I were to tell you that every day can be a get-over-it kind of day? For the Jesus follower, we know that because of God’s never ending love, His mercies are new for us each and every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Undoubtedly, though, we all have something that gnaws at us, keeps us up at night, and causes us to question our salvation. I have good news for you, though: whatever it is that plagues you in your darkest moments, it pales to the glory of God for you and me that furiously shines in a new life with Jesus! 

So what if I were to tell you the best way to actually get over something is to actually set your mind above the stuff that seems to want to hold you back and keep you down. Consider what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1-17…

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kinidness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (NIV)

Paul also wrote in Romans 12:2 that we are transformed by the renewal of our mind. 

How frequently do we dwell on the old stuff, the painful stuff, the stuff we messed up, or the consequences we must carry because of someone else’s mistakes? It seems to me a lot. I know personally I can dwell on these things, and in so doing, keep my mind fixed on things “below” as opposed to things “above” where God is. When that happens, I need to get over where my mind wants to be into the open spaces where it needs to be.

On this, the 11th anniversary of the first National Get Over It Day, if you have something that’s dragging you down, get over it by reminding yourself that your old way of living is buried with Christ so you can be resurrected daily into the glory of God. Set your mind on the things that honors and glorifies the Lord. Focusing on God’s ways, and serving others accordingly, is truly the best way to get over it and stay above the mental and emotional fray. And in all honesty, you don’t need a “holiday” to do so, just a chance to be reminded that God’s mercies are indeed new for you each and every day, and commit to live according to that new life thanks to Jesus. 

Have a great rest of the week, and I hope to see you Sunday when we talk about the perpetual problem of gossip in our lives, both individually and corporately.

Pastor Mark

Be Disciplined to Shape and Achieve Your Goals

“At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.” (Hebrews 12:11, MSG)

The book of Hebrews says that discipline isn't much fun. Is that an overstatement, or what? I want to draw a distinction between discipline and punishment, however; punishment is a revenge-like reaction to something someone did wrong, whereas discipline is shaping someone for better future behavior. That line I drew might seem awful thin from time-to-time, but it is consistent at the very heart of the matter: punishment deals with past behavior while discipline shapes us for the future. 

Paul wrote in Romans, "God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him." (Romans 8:29, MSG) 

God has a goal to shape you to be more like Jesus. This helps to accomplish the Jesus-follower’s goal of getting to heaven. Personal discipline  is required for God's goal to be accomplished in us, to help us reach our faith goals, too; therefore, we need to spend time getting to know God better. Fortunately, we have some tools to help in this, and they are what we call in the church, Spiritual Disciplines.

Spiritual Disciplines are behaviors of abstinence or engagement that help us connect better with God and others in the task to make us more like Jesus. Some are for us to do in private solitude with the Lord, where others are intended for us to do in communal relationships with other believers, seekers, and skeptics alike. Consider this list (by no means exhaustive) of some different kinds of Spiritual Disciplines…

Disciplines of Abstinence: These are ways of denying ourselves something we want or need in order to make space to focus on, and connect with, God.

• Solitude: Refraining from interacting with other people in order to be alone with God and be found by him. (Solitude is completed by silence.)
• Silence: Not speaking in a quiet place in order to quiet our minds and whole self so we can attend to God’s presence. Also, not speaking so that we can listen to others and bless them.
• Fasting: Going without food (or something else) for a period of intense prayer — the fast may be complete or partial. When you miss that item, focus on God.
• Rest: Doing no work to rest in God’s person and provision; praying and playing with God and others. (God designed this for one day a week. We can practice it for shorter periods, too.)
• Secrecy: Not making our good deeds or qualities known to let God or others receive attention and to find our sufficiency in God alone.This also works in relationship with others by abstaining from gossip and maintaining safe confidentiality. 
• Submission: Not asserting ourselves  in order to come under the authority, wisdom, and power of Jesus Christ as our Lord, King, and Master. (If you think of this as submitting to a person as unto Christ then it’s a discipline of engagement.)

Disciplines of Engagement: These are ways of connecting with God and other people, conversing honestly with them in order to love and be loved.

• Bible Reading: Trusting the Holy Spirit-inspired words of Scripture as our guide, wisdom, and strength for life.
• Worship: Praising God’s greatness, goodness, and beauty in words, music, ritual, or silence.
• Prayer: Conversing with God about what we’re experiencing and doing together. (As we see in the Lord’s Prayer the main thing we do in prayer is to make requests of our Father for one another.)
• Soul Friendship: Engaging fellow disciples of Jesus in prayerful conversation or other spiritual practices.
• Personal Reflection: Paying attention to our inner self in order to grow in love for God, others, and self.
• Service: Humbly serving God by overflowing with his love and compassion to others, especially those in need.

Utilizing the Spiritual Disciplines of abstinence and engagement help us take God's discipline to shape us like Jesus to help so we can reach our goal to get to heaven. And, we must realize that our experience of eternity doesn't begin with our last breath, but our next one. 

On Sunday, I shared an acrostic I developed to help people make Christ-centered goals, utilizing their unique shape, while God continues to shape us. This is that acrostic, using the word, GOALS. Make sure your goals are...

• Godly: based on God's plan — remember the Great Commission, which means to serve, and the Great Commandment, which means to love. 
• Obedient: doing things God's way as opposed to your way; don't let your appetite be your God, because this is the essence of temptation 
• Assessable: make sure your goals are assessable, or in other words, measurable. Make sure you can known when you are making progress or straying off course, as well as doing deep enough as your grow spiritually. 
• Love-based: following the law of God, which is to love Him with everything you are and have, and your neighbor as yourself.
• Service-oriented: we are designed to serve, remembering that Jesus said the greatest is the one who serves. 

Loving service becomes the vehicle by which we evaluate and exercise our Christ-centered goals. Consider this great quote from Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

As we accept God's work to shape us like Jesus, and we lovingly serve in response to God's grace for us, may we return to the concept of Spiritual Disciplines to help us grow deeper, and go farther, with God. Please let me know if I can help you in this life — and eternal life! — shaping endeavor.

Assembled

This past Sunday we explored the nature of the church and the critical role we each play. The spiritual gifts we are given by God must be used to benefit the church as the church works to benefit the world with Jesus. This model of replication and multiplication is important for us to understand: we are designed by God to be assembled into the church so the church can assemble with other churches to impact the world for Jesus. Through our combined efforts, others are assembled into the church, the church keeps developing and deploying disciples, and the process continues until the whole world hears of God's great love. 

God's great love is the model for how we are to live with each other as we are assembled into the church. Our assembly into the Body of Christ, therefore, is ensconced with need...both ours and the church. 

We are assembled to need each other. None of us is an island unto ourselves. We simply cannot be everything for everyone. So if we are to be successful, and if the church is to be effective, then we must recognize we need others and others need us, too. The bottom line is the church needs us as much as we need the church.

We are assembled to respect each other. This isn't always easy, especially when we bump into each other from time to time, but it is critical. The reality is that being Christian doesn't mean we never experience conflict, but it does mean we must deal with it  — and others! — differently. The way we conduct ourselves in the midst of conflict is one of the most poignant ways we can show the world how people of faith live differently. 

We are assembled to sympathize with each other. One of the greatest lessons about what it means to be assembled to the Body is contained in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." It is a powerful testament to our love of God and others when we can authentically share concern with others when they are down, and celebrate with others when they are up. It's all about doing life together, with all its highs and lows. 

We will explore these concepts further on Sunday as we consider what Paul referred to as "the more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31). I have to warn you, though, it's a four-letter word that has the potential to grab everyone's attention. I hope to see you in worship Sunday, but in the meantime, remember we all need each other, must respect each other, and share in life's highs and lows together. 

God Bless,

Pastor Mark

Restless Heart Syndrome

I got a FitBit fitness tracker for Christmas, and I really enjoy it. These kinds of devices are not necessarily new for me, because I have used a pedometer for years to track my steps and activity. What I like about my FitBit is in addition to tracking my steps, it tracks my heart rate and sleep patterns. 

It’s been years since I wore a watch, but I find the little device to be quite motivational. It urges me to add some movement and motion to my day when I otherwise might sit at my desk, or do what the Swiffer commercial calls, “deep couch sitting.” In fact, just a couple days ago, I was nearing my 10,000 steps per day goal, but it was getting late, so I did a number of laps around the kitchen to make sure I crossed my threshold. Tracking my steps is pretty neat, but I think the most eye-opening stat it gives me is for sleep. 

Sleep is critical for us. When we are young, sleep is when we grow. Sleep also is crucial for recovery and healing, both physically and emotionally. Experts recommend that children get some ten to twelve hours of sleep, and adults six to eight. If you are anything like me, though, that seems more like a goal than a recommendation. There is no doubt the world we live in — from the high value of busyness and connectivity, to the blue light we receive from our mobile devices and flat screen televisions, to the stress and anxiety that bombards us from all directions — makes it increasingly difficult to get the recommended amount of sleep we require. This, I suppose, is why the sleep tracker on my FitBit is my favorite part of the overall experience. 

Each morning upon waking, I sync my FitBit to check my sleep pattern. The trends I notice since I got the device for Christmas are not terribly encouraging. Even though I aim to sleep the eight hours recommended, I typically get about six-and-a-half to seven hours of sleep; I wake up once or twice a night; and I am restless about every fifteen minutes. Not the best of reports. 

There are some tried and true recommendations I am incorporating into my evening routine. I try to limit my snacking after dinner. I try to limit the use of my iPad and iPhone for the last hour or so before bed. I try to go to sleep with white noise (which my parents started me on when I was a baby) while keeping the television turned off to avoid politics and even sports just before bed, both of which rev me up. We keep our room cool at night (the optimum sleeping temperature, from what I understand, is 67-degrees). I also use a sleep mask to experience total darkness. I try to utilize all the tricks, but still find myself restless. 

There is no doubt many of us are restless. It might seem circumstantial, but I think this is more or less the default position for human beings. The great theologian, St. Augustine, wrote in his famous book, Confessions, about the human relationship to God: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” I think this sums up my life pretty well. My theological diagnosis? Restless Heart Syndrome. 

Do you have RHS, or Restless Heart Syndrome? You know the side effects. Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; frequently waking up in the middle of the night; racing heart rate; staring at the ceiling for hours on end; midnight trips to the kitchen for a snack; pacing the floor; overwhelming wonder about when you’ll be able to go to sleep. I’ve had them all. And I found a pretty good antidote I want to share with you.

Prayer. 

Yep, prayer. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? Yet there are admittedly times when we are up in the night, that prayer is one of the last places we turn while wondering and worrying about what tomorrow holds. This brings to mind the line of the great hymn, that we might not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know who holds tomorrow. I know this works. I have the evidence. 

The other night I was anxious about a heavy schedule the following day. After some time of experiencing the main side effects of RHS, I took to prayer. In my prayer time, I asked Jesus to go with me into the stressful appointments. And I heard an answer. Really, I did. Wanna know what Jesus told me? He said this, as plain as the FitBit on my wrist…

“I’m already there.”

That is 100% true. Every word of it. I promise. But it’s not really my promise, now, is it? It is God’s. 

“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you…It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8, NRSV)

Beautiful, isn’t it? And profound. For me, I knew God would go with me, but hearing God tell me he was already there put a smile on my face. It helped me face the day with confidence and grace. And as I tracked each and every step thanks to my FitBit, I knew that I might as well be able to count every one twice, because it wasn’t just me who was walking through the day, but it was Christ with me. It’s amazing how knowing you don’t have to go through anything alone helps tend to RHS, or Restless Heart Syndrome.

Is your heart restless? Turn to Jesus. If you are anxious about what tomorrow holds, know that Jesus holds tomorrow. And he isn’t just holding it, he is holding you, too. For whatever you have to do, and wherever you have to go, if you are doing it for the Lord, he is already there waiting for you. And that makes me smile.

May you have a smile on your face and a spring in your step, knowing that Jesus is with you. Always.

My, How it Flies!

Our subdivision recently had a speed study conducted on the main thoroughfare. Our community swimming pool, clubhouse, playground, recreation area, and a major school bus stop sits in the valley of two relatively modest hills. Even though there is a posted 25 MPH speed limit, it is rarely (if ever) observed. Sure, some drivers in the neighborhood blatantly ignore it and travel at speeds of their choosing. Needless to say, this frightens many people — Tiffany and me included — whose children frequent those common areas to congregate and recreate. I certainly am one of those known to shake a fist and grumble about those who drive waaaay too fast on that stretch of road; yet admittedly, I’ve done the same at least once or twice in the 9+ years we’ve lived here.

Some concerned residents contacted the City of Newnan to conduct a speed study. The results were eye-opening, and as a result, the city posted a new speed limit sign with radar to alert drivers of their speed as they travel this oft-congested stretch in the subdivision. The goal is awareness, so hopefully drivers will be more cognizant of their speed entering or exiting the neighborhood.

The new sign works, at least for this driver. The other day, I was taking Ethan for a youth group activity and I traveled at a speed I felt was normal for that stretch. As I approached that new sign, it was blinking at me to inform and warn me that I was over the speed limit. And I wasn’t just over the speed limit, I was waaaay over the limit! Like, by a lot! The sign did it’s purpose. I was informed and I’m certainly more aware of my speed in the subdivision.

Now that we’re celebrating the New Year, I couldn’t help but think about how fast things can sneak up on us without realizing it. Granted our family’s 2015 was such a grand, yet strange, year, but I look back and wonder where it went. The changes last year brought to us are head-spinning, so when we say that 2015 seemed to fly by, we’re not kidding. Sure, there were signs along the way flashing at us as though to say, blink and you’ll miss this, yet due to circumstances — many of our choosing and to our delight — we were looking ahead to where we wanted to be and not as present in the moment. As a result, the year blew by us at an astonishing rate.

Time does fly, doesn’t it? Even in the moments when it seems to crawl, we reflect in the aftermath and wonder where it went. This is so true for us as we waited on word to travel to China, because it seemed to never come. Yet the night before we left, we didn’t sleep, because there wasn’t enough time to get everything done. While we were in China for two weeks, it seemed like we’d never get home. Looking back, though, there are things we miss and wish we could have made more memories with Mia in her homeland. Then getting home, and dealing with the challenges of illnesses and sleep deprivation, we couldn’t wait for things to normalize. But today, we think back and wish we could have some of those days and nights back to do things differently for Mia. And all the while, we look back over Ethan’s 13+ years and wish we could get the 3-year-old version of him back to parent him then with what we know now.

And therein lies the rub, doesn’t it? Too often we take this same approach to life — if I knew then what I know now, I’d do it differently. Well, a New Year provides us with a version of that every time we change our calendars. Was last year’s Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift a flop? You have a chance to do better this year. Didn’t adequately prioritize family and friends in the face of other demands? Use the rhythms of last year to plan better for this year.

       

Didn’t take advantage of spiritual seasons and opportunities to connect with God and others at a deeper level? Make and stick with a plan to spend time with God daily, worship weekly, and service regularly. However you might look back at 2015 with an eye to 2016, remember that life is so much more than the tyrannically urgent demands that seem to gobble up our precious moments.

As I begin 2016 with all the challenges and opportunities it will deliver — from those I know of, to the possibilities I’m aware of, and the surprises I can’t even begin to fathom — I want to resolve to be more present in the moment…for those dwindling trips I’ll have to drive Ethan to school or church; for those moments I’ll have to cuddle a little toddler yearning for trust and predictability in her new family; for those times I can surprise my bride with a hug, a kiss, and maybe a flower to let her know she’s loved and  cherished; for those moments I get to walk with families during times like weddings, funerals, and other watershed events; and for those times when I get to take advantage of the opportunities to pause, rest, and be alone with God, even while other things seem to distract my attention.

Time flies…my, how it flies…and we all have moments we’d give anything to get back. As we begin a New Year, maybe your prayer is like mine, to better enjoy the moments you’re in, so this time next year there’s more to celebrate and less to want back. Let’s aim to be present in every moment for those that are truly most important, and be available for God to use us fully, so 2016 can be a year unlike any other.

Happy New Year, and Love Always,

Pastor Mark