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Learning is How We Find Solutions

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And We Never Stop Learning as Long as We’re Alive

In this week’s sermon, Pastor Lisa used algebra as an example of learning. Really, algebra…

I never was a fan of algebra. I could never understand why it was necessary to mix the alphabet in with math. People that like algebra naturally get it. Not me. I just don’t get this.

Algebraic Solutions

Algebra is the branch of mathematics that studies certain abstract systems, known as algebraic structures, and the manipulation of statements within those systems. It is a generalization of arithmetic that introduces variables and algebraic operations other than the standard arithmetic operations such as addition and multiplication.

This makes my head hurt.

Pastor Lisa’s point was that algebra is a mathematical example of looking for and finding an answer to a problem. Now that I understand.

Why can’t it be as simple as using a box or a blank for the unknown piece of the puzzle? Why does it have to be a letter?

Like in this example:

⬜ + 10 = 13

We need to find the number in this box. And what number, when added to 10, gives us 13?

Simple, it’s three; we can see that 3 plus 10 equals 13. The puzzle here only contains numbers.

Okay…enough about algebra.

The real message here is about learning.

Learning is acquiring wisdom. And the Proverbs are full of acquiring and sharing wisdom. In Proverbs 1:1-7, we are told how the Proverbs can be used to learn.

Proverbs will teach you wisdom and self-control and how to understand things with deep meanings. You will learn what is right and honest and fair. From these, an ordinary person can learn to be smart, and young people can gain knowledge and good sense.

The Proverbs are not promises. They are a probability.

We can go through life ignoring the opportunities to learn. Or we can soak up every lesson, both good and bad, and build better lives. It’s up to us.

We shouldn’t just take things at face value. We should scratch and think and ponder, trying to find the right answers to the right questions.

It’s how we were made. We were made to learn.

Now go and learn!

Life is Full of Choices

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One of Those Choices is Repentance

We all make mistakes. Some mistakes are more serious than others. The thing to remember is that the mistake doesn’t have to be the end of the story.

King David is remembered as someone after God’s heart even though he made a lot of mistakes. One of the reasons he is remembered this way is because of his willingness to admit his mistakes and repent of them.

This is evident in the Psalms. Many of the Psalms are of David repenting. This week’s Scripture, Psalm 6 is one of these. We don’t know exactly what mistake(s) David is referring to in this chapter. What we do know is that it’s an outpouring of David’s regret. To the point of bringing him to tears.

David’s penance is one of the reasons he was remembered as he was.

Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed. The word penance derives from Old French and Latin paenitentia, both of which derive from the same root meaning repentance.

This is a sincere change of heart and feeling of remorse. Repentance refers to the genuine interior sorrow for one’s hurtful words or actions.

Repentance implies a purpose and the resolve to avoid such hurtful behavior in the future. 

The superpower that we all have, but too often neglect to use, is the power of choice.

David made a lot of choices, knowing they were wrong. But he also chose to openly repent, asking for God’s forgiveness.

We are faced with choices every day. It’s up to us to ask God for His input before we make the choices. This will reduce the time of repentance.

Life is Like a Pencil Maze

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And They’re Easier with Help

A maze is defined as, “A path or collection of paths typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching (“unicursal”) patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal.”

Life is like a maze. It has a beginning and an end. We can choose what we want the end goal to be. Do we want to spend eternity in heaven or hell?

We start down a path that seems clear. We’re sure is the right one. Then we run into a roadblock. Now we have to turn around and go in a different direction. And just when we think we have it figured out…there’s another dead end.

This maze we call life can be frustrating.

But if we persist, we will eventually find the goal. Finding our way through the maze is easier if we have a map and help. The map is our Bible. The help is God, our church, family, and Christian friends.

This Sunday’s message was from Psalm 5. It is a morning prayer for help…and boy, don’t we all need help getting through this maze called life.

David starts out by stating who he’s praying to and asking God to hear his prayer. He confirms that God does not like evil and will not support sin. He asks God to make His teaching clear and to guide him. He then closes the prayer asking for protection for those who love God.

Starting our day off in prayer is a good way to begin each daily portion of the maze.

In Psalm 1, we are shown the way to happiness. We are also shown a different path. One path is to success. One is like straw blown by the wind. Verse 6 tells us, “The Lord protects everyone who follows Him, but the wicked follow a road that leads to ruin.”

So, if we are aware of the maze of life, understand how it’s better with help, take intentional actions, and continue learning as we go…we’ll make it to Heaven in the end.

The Kind of Clothes You Wear is Up to You

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What Kind of Clothes Are You Wearing?

Clothes are an outward indication of who we are or want to be. This is evident in commercials and advertisements. The latest and greatest thing is bombarding us everywhere we look.

How we dress is one of the first things people see. Our clothes show others who we choose to be.

Clothes can be an accurate or inaccurate presentation. At funerals, typically the dead are dressed in their best suit or dress even if while living they never dressed like that.

Granted, at our own funeral, we have no control over how we’ll be dressed.

This week’s Scripture was John 11:32-44. Most of us have heard the story of Lazarus. He was the brother of Mary and Martha and a good friend of Jesus.

Lazarus was sick and his sisters sent word to Jesus because they knew he could heal him. But as the story goes, Jesus was slow in getting to Lazarus. By the time He arrived, Lazarus was dead.

There was some frustration that Jesus hadn’t got there in time to save Lazarus. “He gave sight to the blind. Why couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying?”

They went to the grave and Jesus told them to roll the stone away.

But Martha said, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.”

Jesus told them to have faith.

After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. I know that you always answer my prayers.”

When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” The man who had been dead came out. Jesus told the people to take off Lazarus’ burial clothes.

Jesus makes it possible for each of us to have our burial clothes removed. It’s up to us to accept this offer or not.

Too often we continue to wear our burial clothes…we don’t have to. All we have to do is to accept that Jesus has paid the price for us by dying on the cross and our burial clothes will be gone.

We can also wear clothes for the wrong reasons. They can be worn to present an image to others.

Maybe we’re wearing our Sunday morning, “look at me going to church clothes”. Or maybe it’s our “going out on the town clothes”. Could be that it’s our “look at me I’m better than you” clothes.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing better clothes that present a better image. We just need to be sure we’re wearing them for the right reason and who we’re wearing them for.

What kind of clothes are you wearing and who are you wearing them for?

Routines Are a Good Thing

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That is, If the Routine Includes Doing Good Things

A routine is doing tasks, chores, or duties at a regular or specific interval or time. It is a habitual procedure constantly repeated.

Prayer is a good routine to have.

This is part of the Jewish religion. The Jewish Law calls for praying three times daily. In the morning, the afternoon, and at nightfall. The morning prayer is called (shacharit), the afternoon prayer (minchah), and the evening prayer (arvith or maariv).

It is taught that the custom of praying three times a day was introduced by the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham introduced prayer in the morning, Isaac in the afternoon, and Jacob added one at night.

Routines can help you stay organized, be productive, and even find meaning. Certain studies have associated family routines with parenting competence and marital satisfaction.

Not all routines are created equal and failing to examine or alter bad habits can have a negative effect on our lives.

Habitual behavior can cause us to be unaware. A series of habits can set us on autopilot. This can lead to losing touch with who we are made to be.

For example, scrolling through our phone can seem pretty harmless, but we may be missing out on interaction with others. Similarly, items we pressure ourselves to include in our routines may be taking up time that could be used for better things.

Whatever our personal habits may be, it’s worth considering the ways they may be affecting us negatively. These routines may prevent us from engaging with the world around us.

Routines can start out with good intentions, but the good can get lost in the routine.

If we are doing the routine just to do it, we may have lost the reason behind why we’re doing it.

Going back to Jewish routines, many of the Sadducees and Pharisees in the Old Testament got caught up in the routines and forgot the why.

We need to periodically step back and ask ourselves why. Why are we doing this routine? Is it still an effective part of who we are and what we’ve been put here to accomplish?

As for the Jewish prayer routine, they consider Psalm 4 an evening prayer. It is one of David’s Psalms. In this Psalm, David:

  • Talks to and gives God his problems
  • Speaks to the people and reminds them that he was called by God
  • Advises the people to not hold on to their anger, to not dwell on their anger overnight, and to give their anger to God
  • Trusts in God
  • Asks God for peace and joy

Praying regularly and often is a good way to stay connected with God. This can be especially true as we come to the end of our busy days.

There can be a sense of guilt when falling asleep before you’re finished praying. It’s okay…it’s like falling asleep in your parent’s arms.

Prayers don’t need to be some elaborate thing. They can be simple. Like the “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” prayer that many of us learned as a kid. I found out in the children’s message Sunday that there are variations to this prayer.

Here’s one I really liked –

Thank you Lord for another day,
The chance to learn, the chance to play.
Now as I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Please, guard me Jesus through the night,
And keep me safe till morning’s light.
But if I should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
And should I live for other days,
I pray that God will guide my ways.
Amen.

Routines help us remember to do things. But we need to do the right routines for the right reasons.

It’s important to be intentional with our routines.

How You Deal With Adversity is Up to You

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Nobody Said It Would be Easy

Life is full of adversity. It comes in all shapes and sizes. We all deal with it differently.

The important thing to remember is that we don’t have to do it alone.

Most of us will never experience the amount of loss that Job in the Bible did. He was a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

One day, a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds.”

While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead.”

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then, he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
    and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
    and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

This seems like a lot of adversity. Most of us have never experienced anything close to this. We can’t imagine what this would be like.

It can be hard to relate to Bible stories. They can feel like they are from so long ago and so far away that’s hard to relate.

Horatio Spafford’s story of loss is closer to our time in history than Job’s story.

Horatio Gates Spafford became well-known for his clear Christian testimony in Chicago. He and his wife Anna were active in their church. Their home was always open to visitors, including their friend Dwight L. Moody.

They were blessed with five children and considerable wealth. Horatio was a lawyer and owned a great deal of property in Chicago.

Tragedy came in great measure to this happy home. At four years old, their son, Horatio Jr., died suddenly of scarlet fever.

Then, only a year later in October 1871, a massive fire swept through downtown Chicago, devastating the city, including many properties owned by Horatio. Despite their substantial financial loss, the Spafford’s sought to demonstrate the love of Christ, by assisting those who were grief-stricken and in great need.

Two years later in 1873, Spafford decided his family should take a holiday in England, knowing that his friend, the evangelist D. L. Moody, would be preaching there in autumn.

Horatio was delayed because of business, so he sent his family ahead, his wife and their four remaining children: 11-year-old Anna, 9-year-old Margaret Lee, 5-year-old Elizabeth, and 2-year-old Tanetta.

On November 22, 1873, while crossing the Atlantic, their vessel was struck by an iron sailing ship.

All four of Horatio Spafford’s daughters perished, but remarkably Anna Spafford survived the tragedy. Those rescued were taken to Cardiff, South Wales. Upon arrival, Anna immediately sent a telegram to her husband, which included the words “Saved alone….”

Receiving Anna’s message, Horatio set off at once to be with his wife.

During the voyage, the captain pointed out the very spot where his daughters had died.

It is said that Spafford returned to his cabin and wrote the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” there and then. The first line is, “When peace like a river, attendeth my way…”

Obviously, the voyage was one of deep sorrow as well as inspiration. This is evident in the moving and well-loved hymn.

After Anna was rescued, Pastor Nathaniel Weiss, one of the ministers travelling with the surviving group, remembered hearing Anna say, “God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why.”

Naturally, Anna was utterly devastated, but she testified that in her grief and despair, she had been conscious of a soft voice speaking to her, “You were saved for a purpose!” She remembered something a friend had once said,

“It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.”

In August 1881, the Spafford’s left America with several other like-minded Christians and settled in Jerusalem. There they served the needy, helped the poor, cared for the sick, and took in homeless children. Their desire was to show those living around them the love of Jesus.

This week’s sermon was on Psalms 3. This Psalm is regarding the time when David’s own son was attempting to take over as king.

David dealt with a lot of losses throughout his life. He had a great many enemies, some of which were his own family. Even with all the mistakes he made, the one thing that David was consistent in, was giving it to God.

We will experience adversity. Hopefully it’s not to the level of Job, Horatio, or David. Whatever the size and extent of the difficulties we experience…

God is the only way we can really deal with adversity.

For Such a Time as This

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The Question is: What Are You Going to Do About It?

It’s Independence Day 2024. This is when we in America celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the 56 delegates who later became known as the nation’s founding fathers. This declaration explains to the world why the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent, sovereign states no longer subject to British rule. 

This Declaration has become one of the most circulated, reprinted, and influential documents in world history. It has proven an influential and globally impactful statement on human rights, particularly its second sentence:  

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  

The signing of the Declaration came at a cost.

“And, for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” 

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War. 

Standing up for what’s right requires bravery and comes with risk. 

We see this same kind of bravery and risk in the Bible in the book of Esther. This book shows us how God works through people in a fallen world who are willing to step out bravely. 

Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, learns that Haman–King Xerxes second in command–plotted to kill all the Jews in Persia. This included Mordecai and Esther who is queen.  

Mordecai tells Esther that she needs to talk to the king about this. There’s a big risk to this. If she goes to the king without being invited, the king might have her killed. 

In Esther 4:10-14 Mordecai tells her: 

“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. 

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” 

Esther and Mordecai were both brave and took risks. Mordecai wouldn’t bow to Haman. Esther went to the king with her request. Both things worked out. Both Mordecai and Esther did things outside their comfort zones. 

We’re all called for such a time as this. 

Our callings may not be as big as the Founding Fathers, Mordecai, or Esther, but we’ve been called. It’s up to us to be aware of our calling and do something.  

The question is…what are you going to do about it? 

Have a great Independence Day! 

What Would We Do Without Dads?

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Nothing…Because We Wouldn’t Even Be Here

That’s right. We wouldn’t have been born without a father. But just being a father doesn’t mean we’re good at it.

Being a good father is a big job.

This past Sunday was Father’s Day, so it only makes sense that this was the focus of Pastor Lisa’s message.

So, what does it mean to be a father?

While it might seem obvious what “dad” means– a male parent– it’s often hard to define the role of a dad.

Dad can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. So, what do children need? After all, the definition is a male parent.

Children need many things from their parents, but let’s break it down into the main pieces. They need:

  • Necessities of life
  • Human interaction
  • Care and comfort
  • Warmth and love
  • Guidance and protection
  • To be important to someone

These relate to the different roles that dads (and moms) play.

Human parents are not perfect…some are quite bad at it. We’ve all known people who have bad fathers or don’t even know who their father was.

This is where mentoring comes in. Young men need good role models. These role models can come in the form of coaches, camp counselors, dads of friends, teachers, etc.

We all need people to look up to and try to be like. We should all try to be those people.

This is where my friend Shep’s book, Step into Your Legacy, can be helpful. His book is a guide for men, helping them strive to be people who inspire others through actions and words. Whether it’s the way we treat our families, the kindness we show to others, or the dedication at our workplace, every moment is an opportunity to make an impact.

Being a good dad requires knowing what it means to be a good dad and being intentional about doing it.

As Pastor Lisa has been taking us through the Old Testament, we have seen the kings go back and forth from good and following God to bad and not. This human condition is just that: human.

This is why we need to be aware and understand ourselves and our humanness. Then it’s up to us to be intentional in our actions and learn how to be better.

Often, we get into routines and habits and don’t realize what we’re doing. A good example of how this happens and what we can do about it is in 2 Chronicles 34:14-15; 29-33. In the Scripture, Hilkiah discovers the Book of the Law in the Temple. It is then shared with King Josiah who makes changes and promises to do what’s right.

The best example of how to be a good dad (or mom) is our Heavenly Father and we learn this by reading His Word.

Regardless of what our father here on earth is like, God is our Heavenly Dad. Sure, we wouldn’t have been born without an earthly father. But, the same is true for our Heavenly Father.

I hope you had a great Father’s Day. Going forward, I hope you strive to be more like our Heavenly Father.

VBS – What a Great Place to Share the Message of Salvation

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Salvation, What Does That Mean?

VBS is a common acronym used for Vacation Bible School. Many of us grew up going to VBS and have good memories from it.

Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. Sunday School teacher D. T. Miles was a public-school teacher. She felt limited by time constraints in teaching the Bible to children. So, she started a daily Bible school that taught children during the summer. The first Bible school enrolled 40 students and lasted four weeks. A local school was used for classes, while an adjoining park was used for recess.

While not under the title of Vacation Bible School, Dr. Abraham L. Latham, of the Third Presbyterian Church in Chester, Pennsylvania, initiated a five-week, four-hour day summer Bible school in 1912. While at its peak, it had 650–700 students. This was claimed to be the world’s first summer Bible school.

Today, many churches run their own Vacation Bible School programs. Some churches use themed curriculum programs from their respective denominations. Others use independent publishing houses which provide easy preparation and include marketing tools.

Our church had VBS last week. Thanks to everyone who made this possible.

What a great place to share the message of salvation.

So, what is salvation? Salvation is the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc. It is a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc. Deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.

In Romans 10:1-13, it says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’ Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’.”

Salvation comes at a cost, but the price has already been paid.

“Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:6-8)

It’s up to us to believe and accept this gift.

Sharing the message of salvation in VBS is great, but it shouldn’t stop there. All of us who believe need to be bold and share this message beyond VBS.

Choosing to believe is a decision that you have the power to make or not…it’s up to you.

Be Who God Made You To Be

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Don’t Be Afraid to Witness Boldly

God made each and every one of us exactly how He wanted us to be. We are unique and different and have skills that are specific to us. 

It’s up to us to be willing to use our skills the way they were intended. 

As a Christian, it can be scary to talk about our faith. We may not know what others believe and don’t want to impose our beliefs on them. This “kid glove” viewpoint seems to be more and more common.  

A recent article in The Washington Stand, written by Sara Holliday pointed out that 40% of British Christians prefer not to share their faith. According to a recent survey, British Christians seem to be going through a bit of a “self-confidence crisis”, as phrased by the researcher. 

“Authorized by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) and steered by Whitestone Insight, the survey, “Britain’s attitudes to faith in public life,” received responses from 2,064 U.K. adults between May 1 and 2 of 2024. Author Dr. Jake Scott emphasized, “Data were weighted to be representative of all U.K. adults.” Among several key findings, perhaps the most eye-opening was that roughly 40% of the Christian respondents prefer to keep their faith to themselves and out of “the workplace and politics.” 

Some other statistics include “49% of religious respondents” who were opposed to seeing more religion in the media, and 27% felt religion was not necessarily “a force for good in society.” This isn’t exactly encouraging news.”  

This doesn’t sound very bold. 

“However, there were two positives — maybe even encouraging — aspects to these results worth recognizing. 

First, there was a distinction between “exclusivist” Christians and “cultural” Christians — the former being “those who believe their religion is the only true faith,” and the latter being “those who were baptized but attend church infrequently and do not strongly identify with the Christian faith.”  

The exclusivists were far more willing to share their faith, as they are called to in Scripture. And we can’t be too surprised the cultural Christians, who don’t appear to take their faith seriously, don’t take intentionally sharing their faith seriously. 

The second encouraging point was the influence faith seems to have on younger generations such as Gen Z. As reported, “69% of respondents within the 18-24 year old bracket believe their faith significantly impacts their lives,” 72% “find faith helps them find purpose in life,” 78% “feel their faith has shaped their moral values,” and 53% “believe their faith to be the only true religion.” 

Reading about Christians intentionally keeping their faith to themselves and not having an optimistic view of their faith should motivate us to offer some encouragement. Moving forward, let’s not focus on these statistics.  

Scripture calls us to be bold, not timid. It calls us to share our faith, not purposefully keep it to ourselves. 

In Acts 4:1-13, Peter and John are arrested and taken before the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law because they healed a crippled man. Peter told them that the power that healed the man was Jesus, the man they killed.  

The members of the council were amazed at the boldness of Peter and John because they were just ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. But they were with Jesus. 

Being bold doesn’t mean we shout from a mountain top or get up in someone’s face. We can be bold by living our daily lives the way God made us. 

We are all ordinary. Made just the way God wanted us. It’s up to us to witness boldly the way He made us.