Benediction

As Long as We Both Shall Love

One part of my role as pastor of Lakeside Church is dealing with hard issues. This weekend we're dealing with the issue of divorce. Of all the topics that come up in the Sermon on the Mount, this one draws the largest response. Although Jesus also talked about anger, lust, integrity and hatred in his Sermon, his comments on divorce create the greatest stir.

I heard of a preacher once who was officiating a wedding ceremony. As he led the couple at the altar, he altered the traditional promises of marriage. Traditionally couples have vowed to love, honor and cherish one another for "as long as we both shall live." It has been a statement of loving fidelity, of life-long commitment. This pastor altered the vows and dramatically altered their meaning. He led the couple to pledge their lives together for "as long as we both shall love." The difference between the two vows is the difference between choosing to love and falling in love. 

Falling in love is wonderful and amazing. But wonderful and amazing marriages are built by choosing to love even when the falling falls short.

That's part of the conversation this weekend at Lakeside.

The Block and the Future

A few years ago the members of Lakeside Church made a strategic decision: We will not let the next generation of young people be untouched by the gospel. So we raised some money and built a building. Our students decided to call it The Block.

Yesterday at 7:00 a.m. I rode my bicycle onto the church property. The parking lot of the Block was packed with cars. Three buses sat idling in the driveway. In the basement 123 high school students--and many of their parents--gathered to hear final instructions, such as "How to Flush the Toilet in a House Boat." By 7:30 they were on the buses and off to a week of House Boat Camp.

Last night the Block was full again. This time hundreds of adults and teens gathered to prepare for Blitz. Blitz is Lakeside's Summer Day Camp for kids. Next Monday 1000 children will descend on Lakeside. Four-hundred-fifty volunteers will coach, lead, serve and love those kids while presenting a living, breathing, water-fighting picture of the gospel. It was amazing to see this many people saying, "I will give up a week to serve kids so they can learn to love Jesus."

Meanwhile, up at Shasta Lake, 40 more adults are serving those high school students on a bunch of house boats and ski boats. And the gospel will be proclaimed and lived out again. 

Don't despair for the next generation. There are hundreds of people investing in their lives and their faith. If you are one of these investors, Thank You! I'm so proud of what you are giving and how you are giving it. Glory to God.

Learning the Story

I recently taught a workshop on memorizing the Bible for Lakeside Church's Pathway of a Disciple. Memorization is not everyone's strength. I get that. But for me, the discipline of memorizing passages of scripture has been the single best driver of my spiritual life. For years I have sought to put the epistles, psalms and other passages into my head and heart.

I found that memorizing Isaiah 40 has given me a greater grasp of God's sovereignty. Psalm 118 steers my heart passionately toward our Messiah. Philippians 2 teaches me humility--over and over and over.

At some point I decided to change direction. I had never memorized narrative scripture before, scriptures that tell a story. So I learned Luke 15, the story of the Lost Sons and what Tim Keller calls The Prodigal God. I found I loved knowing the story. Yes, I knew it before. I could tell you a rough outline of the story. But when I learned it by heart, it took on a new character. In fact, the characters took on character.

To memorize a story well, give personality to the characters. Or better yet, seek to discover what the personalities of the characters already are. The sons have personality. So does the Father. Lots of it. How you learn the story and how you tell the story make a difference to the story.

My latest goal has been to memorize Genesis 1-3. This section is the foundation for everything that comes later in the Bible. It' s a story. In this case, I started memorizing at chapter three. I've learned over the years that memorizing three chapters in chronological order means I will get the third chapter less settled. I usually put all my energy into chapter one. A little less into chapter two. By the time I get to chapter three I'm worn out. So chapter three doesn't always go so well. So this time I started at Genesis 3. Yesterday I got the final verses down. Now I'm reviewing like crazy. 

Reviewing is the best part, because you can do that anywhere. Sitting at traffic signals is a good place for reviewing. So is lying in bed at night. In the shower--oops, too much information. Reviewing is where the characters and personalities come to life. 

For example, how defensive do you think Eve sounded when she first responded to the serpent? How much laughter was in the serpent's voice when he told Eve she would not surely die? Did God's voice crack when he told his friend Adam that he had to leave the Garden of Eden?

When you find the personalities and the characters, you learn the story. And suddenly it gets personal.

Gratitude

I've been learning from my daughter recently. She has been posting Gratitude Updates on her Facebook page. Usually they are pretty funny, because if you read between the lines, you realize she's not all that thankful. But she has chosen to find the blessing in every circumstance by practicing the giving of thanks.

It's the beginning of a new week. In light of everything the Lord has done for us, I wonder if a bunch of Gratitude Updates wouldn't be appropriate...and helpful.

I think my daughter is learning that the practice of gratitude has its own reward. The more we practice gratitude, the more thankful we become. That's because our emotions follow our thinking. How we think determines how we feel. For example, have you been to a scary movie lately? If so, you sat in the theater gripping the armrests of your seat, or the arm of the person next to you. Your heart rate increased as the music grew louder and the impending danger rushed (or inched) closer. You felt the fear. Yet you were seated in a plush, air-conditioned room with 100 other secure viewers watching a story that was acted out hundreds of miles away 12 months ago. You were completely safe, but your palms were sweaty and your face lost color. All because your emotions followed your thinking.

When Paul writes to the Philippians about gratitude, he does not tell them to be thankful. It's unrealistic to command an emotion. Rather, he says, "In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). He tells the Philippians to practice giving thanks. In the practice of giving thanks, the emotion of thankfulness follows. 

I know Thanksgiving (The Holiday) is far away still. But what can your mind tell your soul to give thanks for today?

What Matters

I've spent the last two weeks serving churches. I've been in Sunnyvale, Monterey, Half Moon Bay and Los Banos. I also took a side trip to Tuolumne to be with 40 pastors for the Next Generation Churches Pastors Retreat.

The theme of my adventures boils down to Mission. What are we trying to do here? In Sunnyvale we tried to diagnosis dysfunction. But the Mission was our target.

In Monterey we celebrated 100 years in the ministry life of a healthy church. They asked me to speak on the Mission.

In Half Moon Bay we discussed structural changes that a church might need to make to move the ball down the field. It is a Mission field.

See, the question for all of us comes to this: What matters? What really matters? Our Pastors Retreat sought to reconnect pastors with the One who restores their soul. Why? Because the Mission won't get done through a bunch of worn-out, beat-up pastors with wounded souls. We need healthy pastors with restored souls so they can lead the charge of the church. But where is the charging church headed? On a Mission.

Yesterday in Half Moon Bay, I joined some other church leaders to prepare a pastor for his ordination council. Ordination focuses on the pastor's understanding of ministry, the Scriptures and theology. We talked about a lot of theological technicalities in that meeting. But those technicalities are never intended to divert our time and energy from the Mission. The technicalities matter because people matter. And people come with questions, and pastors and theologians and "ordinary" Christians need to be prepared to address those questions. Anything else feels like a lack of love. That's because the Mission is about people...and faith to love those people well.

Paul told the Galatians, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Gal.5:6).

In all the stuff you're doing today, where is your faith being expressed through love? How are you living out the Mission?

One Hundred Years

I had the privilege last weekend of participating in the 100th Anniversary of First Baptist Church in Monterey. It was a fantastic party.

But wait a second. What lasts a hundred years? Mervyn's didn't. Not Montgomery Wards. Oldsmobile? Nope.

No president presides and no king reigns for 100 years. Nor do any pastors serve a church that long. One hundred years is a long time.

Lakeside Church is 22 years old. We've just reached adulthood. Barely. And like a lot of 22-year-olds, we're still trying to figure things out. 

At FBC Monterey last weekend, they never told the story of how the church began. I know they have built two buildings in 100 years. I know the stories of some of their pastors, some great ones, and some of their members. But I didn't get to hear about the original vision. Who launched this church? Why? What moved them? Why Monterey? What did they hope to accomplish? Did they think it would last 100 years? Did they believe they would make a difference?

The worship service was spent mostly talking about the past. That makes sense, because they were celebrating where they had been. It is a good, solid history of honoring the Lord.

I had been asked to address the future. I started thinking 100 years out. Most leadership processes these days work on three-year plans. The standard used to be ten years, then five, but that is regarded as too long these days. Change comes too quickly. So people ask, "What's your three-year vision?" Or even, "What do you hope to accomplish this year?"

I wonder what it would look like if churches took a longer view. What if we asked, "If Lakeside Church--or any church--survives 100 years, what difference will it make in this community"? I want to know, "How will our town, our region be better because our church actively engaged it during these 100 years?" The answer to that question should be astounding!

What's your hundred-year vision?

The Beginning

Two books of the Bible begin with the same three words: In the beginning.

The Book of Genesis says, "In the beginning God created..." The very first thing we learn about God is that he creates. That is a hint at what it means for us to be created in his image.

The Apostle John writes, "In the beginning was the Word..." John is clearly referring us back to Genesis. In fact, the Word was the means by which God created: "And God said, 'Let there be light.' And it was so." God spoke and light happened. God speaks into our lives and stuff happens.

Of course, John is also referring to Jesus, the living Word of God. I find the principle that when we want to connect with God and his creative activity in this world, we will do it through the Word--through Jesus and through Scripture.

The process of memorizing passages of scripture has been the strongest catalyst to my spiritual growth. I have found that memorizing passages of scripture puts in my mind the mind of the Author. It writes God's Word into my heart.

I decided recently that my next passage of scripture to memorize will be Genesis 1-3. This is the seminal passage of the Bible. If you don't get these three chapters, you'll never understand the story of God. These three chapters contain the foundations for a world view that encompasses God's view of the world. Genesis addresses, in poetic fashion, the work of the Creator and presents a theology of our stewardship of the earth. It peeks at the Trinity. Genesis describes the nature of male and female and tells the heart and purpose of marriage. Genesis tells of the tragedy of sin and the possibility of redemption. It is the story of God in relation to humanity in three quick movements.

So that's my next personal endeavor to place the heart of God into my heart. I hope to own it by Christmas. I'll let you know how it goes.

What's your next step?

Today at Lakeside

Today was a good day.

Once a month the Lakeside Church staff gets together for what we call chapel. We eat together. (Today was waffles and bacon...and fruit. Lipitor here I come.) Sometimes we sing. We pray. Often I will tell what I'm learning in my own spiritual journey.

Today we heard from Doug Roush. Doug is Lakeside's Director of High School Ministry, known as Encounter. He is completing his third year on our team and he's doing an outstanding job of leading high school students as followers of Jesus. I interviewed Doug in front of the staff today in order to affirm him in his call to the ministry. The state calls it licensing. I call it encouraging.

Doug is 27 years old. He is a learner. I once told Doug he didn't listen enough; he was too quick to speak. He listened to that advice. He has become a humble, learning leader.

He taught today about the brothers of Jesus. He talked about the struggles James might have had in following his older brother. Yet James believed. Doug cited James' belief in Jesus as one of the primary reasons for his own belief. I was moved by his teaching. Think about it: Jesus died for us...and for his brother. Eventually James repaid the bill when he was martyred for his faith in his brother Jesus.

That was a good day. But it wasn't over.

After chapel I met with Carl Rettinger. Carl leads Lakeside's Middle School Ministry. He sits down in my office and says, "I love my job."

I'm thinking, "Nuh uh! Nobody loves middle schoolers." (Sorry MSM kids. I love you; I'm just reporting the stereotype.) 

Carl does love his job and he is doing it well. Here is a mature, well-grounded husband and dad who is giving his heart and soul to lead middle school students to love Jesus. There is hope in this world!

Today was a good day.

The Importance of Seeing God

I walked into a workshop on worship last weekend at Lakeside Church and lost my breath. Gabriel Wilson, Lakeside's Director of Worship Arts, was presenting the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of Worship. As I walked in he was reading this passage:

[God] passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7).

I love this statement of God's character. It honestly takes my breath away. God must like it too, because he includes it no less than eight times in the Bible. It may be the single most common description of God.

What Moses heard that day was a recital of the beauty and balance of God's heart in his relationships with us. It is a song of grace and truth. It is a story of mercy and judgment.

I find that we human beings often land on one side or the other of God's character. Some of us love the side of mercy and grace. Perhaps that's because we know how much we need it. We know if it were not for God's compassion, we would not survive--not in this world and not in the one to come.

Or maybe we just never liked rules in the first place, so mercy seems more important than judgment.

On the other hand, some of us seem to delight in the judgment of God. Perhaps that's because we see the injustices in this world. We know first-hand how cruel the world can be. And we know that judgment doesn't always come soon enough to bring correction. So we love the idea that God will eventually judge, and the wrongs of this world will be righted.

Or maybe we're just rule-keepers and can't tolerate the rule-breaking of others. 

If we land off-balance on either side, we have missed God's heart. God proclaims loud and clear his character: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. He maintains love and forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin. That means he is ready to bring grace to everyone. Hallelujah! I have hope.

However, God also declares his intention to punish the guilty. In some way this judgment even passes down to the children and grandchildren. Perhaps this generational judgment happens because generational sins get passed down--alcoholics beget alcoholics, abusers beget abusers, liars beget liars. Sin produces like-minded sin in the next generation. At any rate, God is the Judge. It is his character and his prerogative. Whoa! I have fear.

In this description, God calls me forward. He motivates me, both through hope and through fear.

Of course, followers of Jesus will recognize this description of God from the Gospel of John. In different words, John describes the same character of God as it was displayed in Jesus:

We have seen his glory, the glory [character] of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

He Must Increase

I ate lunch recently with a good friend. He is a pastor. We talked about church. The questions: Why do some churches grow while others don't? How does a pastor handle it if another church in town grows at a faster pace? (What, you didn't think pastors feel these things?)

The question of church growth always makes me wonder. I believe God is sovereign. He gets to decide how his kingdom grows and at what pace and in what place. But humanity is involved in the equation. Human leaders influence growth and movement. Or why do we have leaders?

My friend reminded me of John 3. After Jesus' famous encounter with Nicodemus comes another story. It seems John the Baptist and Jesus are both baptizing people in the Jordan River. But John is told that Jesus is baptizing more people. In fact, everyone is going to Jesus. The stream of people dried up for John.

How is John to handle that? I mean, he is known as The Baptist! He should be baptizing more people. Maybe Jesus should find a different river.

Here is John's response: "A person can receive only what is given him from heaven... He [Jesus] must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:27, 30).

I can receive only what is given me from heaven. Jesus must increase; I must decrease.

Talk about that over lunch...