Absolutes vs. Uncertainty

I've had conversations with so many different people this week. We are all very different. We have different perspectives about life. We have varied backgrounds. We are in different stages of life. We have different sets of problems. Some of us have children. Some have raised their children and sent them off to bother someone else. Some have grandchildren. Some are just beginning their families. Some are divorced. Some are single. Some are widowed. Some are dealing with infertility. Some are struggling with serious health issues. But the people that I'm speaking of are all believers.

As believers, we have unique gifts and skills, and yet God has assembled us together for one common purpose. Take the diversity of the believers in the worship ministries area and multiply it exponentially and you see the vastness of our church and its makeup. Take it again, multiply it exponentially, and it becomes almost overwhelming as we try to comprehend reaching this world. So many people. So many different perspectives. So many problems.

One of my favorite things to do is try to figure out why people think what they think. I love reading books on philosophy and psychology. I love observing creation, and admiring the creativity of God. Nothing man-made can compare—no work of art, literature or music—to that which God has created. I like to try to understand why people have such diverse points of view. As a violin teacher, it is amazing all the different approaches I have to try with students. Some are motivated by rewards such as stickers. Some are motivated by praise. Some are motivated by the sheer accomplishment of learning a new skill. Some are just there because their parents are making them be there, and I try my best to make it fun so they don’t grow up hating music.

When I encounter adults in daily life, I spend a lot of energy trying to figure out the same types of things—what motivates them? Why do they see things the way they do? Why do they face the issues that they face? Is it a matter of circumstance or poor choices? There are so many people with so many problems. It becomes overwhelming to try to help and encourage and understand in the midst of so much hurt and pain and frustration.

I know that you have problems, and that they are different from mine. I know that each of us has a unique set of circumstances. I know that you have to deal with hurting people with huge problems. And, quite honestly, it seems like I’ve encountered my fair share lately. Perhaps it's because my prayer has been that God would develop the relationships in my life into real, meaninful relationships and not surfacy "Hi, how are you", "in passing" relationships. Perhaps it’s because the church is growing so fast, and with that the diversity is just growing exponentially. Perhaps it’s because this is such a relational church, and what better way for satan to distract us than by causing rifts and plaguing us with the distractions that problems bring. I don’t know. But I’ve prayed for God to give me insight, and help me understand better the people and problems that I’ve encountered as of late.

Here was the answer that He gave me…it was very simple. It is tucked away in a chapter of admonitions for our daily walk, and it was in a verse that I learned as a child in preschool here at FBC:
Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

In other words, I have been asking the wrong question. I have been focusing on the reasons rather than the purpose. I have been focusing on the distractions (problems) rather than focusing on the goal. I’ve been focusing on my own strength rather than relying on Jesus’. I’ve been seeing things through my eyes, and trying to see things through "their" eyes rather than trying to see things through the perfect eyes of Christ. In the midst of every "imperfect human being" (myself at the top of that list of IHBs), we have a perfect, consistent God.

Read with me about the consistency of God from the mouth of David, one of his most inconsistent, imperfect worshipers:

Psalm 19: 7-10, 14
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

If you want a list of absolutes in this world of variables and uncertainties, there it is. In summary:
The Lord is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, more precious than gold, sweeter than honey.

My prayer for you today is that your focus is not on the hardships and distractions of the day, but on Christ. ...that we become less as He becomes more. ...that our heart song today is the last verse that David writes in this Psalm:
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The World has come to us

Twenty years ago, who would have thought that Arlington, TX would be as culturally diverse as it currently is. In the past twenty years, the world has come to us. What are we doing about it?

A friend of mine from Costa Rica commented to me the other day that the biggest adjustment for her in living here is how isolated everyone is here. That comment struck me funny. The US...isolated? We have immediate access to every form of communication, to every comfort, etc. I asked her to explain. She said that she notices that everyone drives alone, that we are all so busy going from place to place that there is no time for community. She said she doesn't really think that anyone really knows anyone else. That comment hurt me, momentarily, and then as I processed it, I realized how incredibly insightful it was.

I was reading an article the other day about all of the international students in our community. The interesting part of this article was the extremely high percentage of foreign students who come and study for four years on UTA campus and never have a meal in an American home. I thought there was no way that the statistic could be true. Then I began to think through the international students I know. Just through UTA, I have met students from China, India, Jordan, Albania, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Korea, South Africa, Niger, and the list goes on and on. Of all of them, I could only think of one that I've ever invited into my home. That personal record put me to shame.

I have such a great desire to reach out to this world, and to invite people into my church. But I've failed miserably at just extending the hand of hospitality and inviting someone who is new to this country and this culture into my home for a meal. I'll travel to Cuba to minister and fellowship, but I don't do it here, in my home court?

My brother recently shared a meal with a Jewish family. He and his family went into the home of their new friends, and shared in their customs. What a wonderful experience for my brother and his wife and children! It wasn't just a faith difference that they experienced, but a lifestyle difference (diet, etc.). What a fantastic way to build that relationship between the families.

When you look at scripture and at the early church, that time of fellowship was so important to the Christian community. How many times did Jesus share a meal with someone in their home? It seems like it was an every day occurence. When we go out on the mission field, RELATIONSHIPS are how we reach people. That's why we go back to the same places time after time. That trust, commitment, friendship is so key in opening the door to share our faith.

How does that fit into our American culture? I don't think it does. I think our culture IS isolated. I think that we are so self-involved and so busy that we rarely sit back and evaluate the depth of relationships in our lives. I think most of us are satisfied with knowing a bunch of people, when in reality, we "know" very few. I think this is one of those places where we as Christians have to make a conscious effort to not be a part of this world (this culture), but reach out beyond it, and cultivate real relationships.

I'm terrible at New Year's resolutions, but I know what mine is going to be this year. Dennis and I sat down and discussed it this morning. We are setting the goal to invite at least one person a month, that is NOT a part of our church, into our home for a meal (and don't worry...I won't be doing the cooking!!!!).

Here's my challenge to you: Look for ways this holiday season and throughout the year to cultivate relationships that break down barriers. Look for ways to invest in other people's lives. It's not enough to simply invite them to church. We need to dig deeper, open ourselves up more, open our homes and look for ways to have a meaningful impact on our neighbors. God has brought this world to us. We must share His message of grace and love and build community with those around us.

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.

'Tis the Season

This is the season of expectation. I've been wrapping my mind around that word, EXPECTATION, for several weeks now. It can apply to so many areas in our lives. Expectations of your marriage, expectations for your career, expectations of a contract, expecting people to have the same views and same perspectives you do. It's a big word to wrap your mind around. But this season of expectation stems from that feeling of knowing something good is coming.

It's also a season of busy-ness, fear, frustration, depression, stress, short tempers, etc. I can tell you from personal experience that I've dealt with people representing those characteristics just this past week. I've heard short tempers flare. I've had people in my office, frustrated with the details of the season. I've heard tears from people suffering with depression. I've heard from people who are afraid they won't be able to accomplish everything on their list, and are even more afraid of how they'll pay for it if they do! Checklists, frantic shoppers, heavy traffic, short tempers, no time, full calendars. This describes an American's Christmas.

Two nights ago, we took care of our neighbor while his family dealt with a health issue. Our neighbor is 9. While coming home from Abby's gymnastics, with all 3 kids in the car, I decided to take them to see Christmas lights. Of course, we had to go and see my kids' favorite house--the Kulez' house (Ben says it looks like the sun). On our way there, I took them through several neighborhoods that had huge homes & gorgeous lights. Places that would be more than we could ever afford. I have to admit...that was where my focus was...the money, the expensive details of the house, the beautiful landscaping, the electric bills they must have.

One of the homes had nothing but a lighted Nativity scene out front. As we passed it, my 9 year old, unchurched neighbor spoke up from the back seat and said, "You know, I think that the Baby Jesus invented Christmas." In that moment, he wasn't impressed by the lights or the homes or the neighborhood. He was amazed at the Baby Jesus. He knew that in the midst of all of the lights, presents, and other hoopla, Jesus was at the center of this season.

It was in that moment that my whole Christmas season came into focus again--this time with the right focal point. Until we've stopped to worship the Baby Jesus, the rest is meaningless. So, if you haven't had that moment of simple faith and obedience this year, STOP. Kneel at the manger. Worship the baby--the Saviour of the world! It's simple, it's peaceful, it restores joy. But most of all, it overwhelms us with how unimportant our lists are in comparison to the fact that the Saviour of the world came into this broken world to live with us, model for us, love us, grace us and die for us! I'm so grateful for the words of that 9 year old boy.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.