Upon rolling out of bed earlier this morning, I turned on the news - switching back and forth between FOX and CNN. Riots continue in Iran over the alleged "rigged" election. A rogue North Korean vessel believed to be headed for Singapore and suspected of transporting illegal nuclear devices is about to be intercepted by the USS John McCain. The hunt for Bin Laden drags on in Pakistan. The U.S. prepares to "fight" a dragging economy by burying our children's financial future under $12 trillion (yes, trillion) in deficit spending over the next 10 years. The unemployment rate begins to approach double digits...and taxes are being INCREASED across the board. It makes a person wonder if whether our house and senate members ever sat through even the most basic course in free market economics.
As a follower of Jesus, I'm not immune from wrestling with angst over these realities. I trust that God is in charge, and yet I long for a world where peace is the rule rather than the exception. I long for a world where individuals voluntarily take care of one another's needs rather than relying on the government to do so. I long for a planet where racism is replaced by equality, and where God's kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
Herein lies the paradoxical reality of following Jesus. We live with the tension that on the one hand, a form of the "kingdom" of God is already present and is being manifest through Christ's Church bringing grace and healing to the sinful and wounded. On the other hand, those of us who take the Bible at face value realize that as history unfolds, God's Word predicts increasing wickedness rather than righteousness leading up to the return of Jesus. Jesus said that as the end approaches, "nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom." Paul wrote that in the last of the "last days", people would become more violent and self-serving than ever. I have always wrestled with the reality that Jesus' reign was inaugurated at His first coming, will be consummated at His second coming - and WE live in the "already but not yet" phase of it all. There is so much possibility for peace and healing right NOW if people would but turn to Jesus and follow Him. Yet both Biblical prophecy and common-sense observation suggests that things aren't improving - and won't get drastically better on earth until Jesus comes again.
I would be interested in knowing where YOU stand. What do you think?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Evangelism - How Scary is THAT?
Whether you consider yourself a follower of Jesus or not - "evangelism" can be a scary word. For many Christians, the idea of sharing the message of Jesus with people can be paralyzing. Questions tremor in our minds. "What if I say the wrong thing? What if I get rejected? What if I come across as being a hypocrite?" and so on.
For the non-follower of Jesus, the word evangelism might envoke thoughts of cheesy TV preachers trying to rope you in so they can get your money. Or it may remind you of that fundamentalist uncle who always seems to be trying to cram Jesus down everybody's throat.
The reality is, evangelism simply means "spreading the good news". In one sense, everybody is an evangelist. Most normal human beings enjoy sharing "good news" with their friends and neigbhors. An MRI reports good results. An estranged child finds his or her way home. A person's neighborhood narrowly misses being enveloped by a forest fire. Good news - from the miraculous to the mundane - is something we like to share.
Unfortunately, sometimes Christians do a poor job communicating the good news of Jesus. As a pastor who talks about Jesus all the time, I regret that I have failed MANY times to accurately represent Him. This week at Valley, we will be diving into an incredible story to discover what evangelism is - and isn't. I invite you to join us for part or all of our current series "Vintage: Ancient Values for a Relevant Faith." I would also be interested in hearing about your experience with this scary word....evangelism....
For the non-follower of Jesus, the word evangelism might envoke thoughts of cheesy TV preachers trying to rope you in so they can get your money. Or it may remind you of that fundamentalist uncle who always seems to be trying to cram Jesus down everybody's throat.
The reality is, evangelism simply means "spreading the good news". In one sense, everybody is an evangelist. Most normal human beings enjoy sharing "good news" with their friends and neigbhors. An MRI reports good results. An estranged child finds his or her way home. A person's neighborhood narrowly misses being enveloped by a forest fire. Good news - from the miraculous to the mundane - is something we like to share.
Unfortunately, sometimes Christians do a poor job communicating the good news of Jesus. As a pastor who talks about Jesus all the time, I regret that I have failed MANY times to accurately represent Him. This week at Valley, we will be diving into an incredible story to discover what evangelism is - and isn't. I invite you to join us for part or all of our current series "Vintage: Ancient Values for a Relevant Faith." I would also be interested in hearing about your experience with this scary word....evangelism....
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What does CHURCH mean to You?
What do you think of when you hear the word "CHURCH"? Do images of fire-breathing pulpit-slammers and holy-rolling emotionalism come to mind? How about painfully boring and predictable repetitions of creeds and slogans? Have you ever been sitting in church and asked yourself the question: "Is this REALLY what Jesus had in mind?" What exactly to they mean by the term "church SERVICE" anyway?
No matter what your past experiences, I think Jesus DID have something different in mind. And while no church is perfect - and some traditions CAN be very Biblical and helpful in spiritual development - it is my opinion that there are a few things a person should look for in choosing a solid church.
First, a person should be concerned with whether a church passionately and faithfully preaches and teaches the Bible - and specifically the GOSPEL of grace.
Secondly, a solid church will be concerned with playing a significant role in God's universal CHURCH in the local community and the world. The early church gave much attention to caring for one another's needs as brothers and sisters in Christ - building one another up and "spurring each other on toward love and good deeds."
Thirdly, one should be concerned with whether the church in question has a clear passion for impacting the CULTURE - rather than fearfully circling the wagons and retreating into a realm of separatism. In other words, a Biblical church should strive to be IN but not OF the world-system, taking every opportunity to bring the life-changing hope of the Gospel to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of everyone without prejudice.
In his great book "The Radical Refomission", Mark Driscoll points out the crucial need for local churches committing to this triune focus on the GOSPEL, the CHURCH and the CULTURE - and spells out the consequences of leaving one or more out of the picture. Driscoll argues that when Christians focus on....
GOSPEL plus CULTURE while ignoring the CHURCH - we get parachurch ministry. This is not to say that all parachurch ministries fail to work in partnership with or as arms of the local church. He simply points out that many parachurch ministries don't last because they are formed as rebel movements against perceived or real failures within the organized local church rather than initiating reform from within.
He then adds that when we focus on....
CULTURE and CHURCH without the GOSPEL - we get liberalism. Theological liberalism has all but destroyed many once-vibrant mainline denominations. By neutering the Gospel of the miraculous and the eternal, it becomes little more than a network of social do-good efforts aimed at meeting temporal needs. Christ's words then take on special significance when He said, "What good will it profit a person to gain the whole world (materially speaking) and yet lose his own soul?"
Finally, he adds that when a church focuses on....
CHURCH and the GOSPEL while ignoring CULTURE - we get fundamentalism. Modern Christian fundamentalism is that movement which began in the early 20th century as a response to the rise of secular humanism. Honorable in its original intentions, the fundamentalist movement has often become a culturally-irrelevant band of complainers who can scarcely appreciate any beauty or truth in anything outside of their own circles and angrily condemn the very sinners Jesus came to save.
At Valley Church, we aim - however imperfectly - to care deeply about all three of these realities. Proclaiming the Bible and the Gospel it reveals, meeting the needs of one another as best we can through generous love, and caring about the culture so much as to seek to live out Christ's kingdom values over and against the myopic selfishness of secular society. I'm sure a person could pick apart 100 different ways in which we are failing to achieve these goals at any given time. But we ARE trying - and will continue to try by the grace of God.
As beggars at the door of God's mercy, we at Valley are being transformed into grateful followers of Jesus day by day. I would invite you to come join us beginning this weekend at one of our three gatherings - 8am, 9:30am or 11am on Sundays - 5063 Maple Road in Vacaville. Who knows? You might just begin to start entertaining a POSITIVE concept of "church" to replace the one you now live with. I'd also be interested to know your opinion about "church" as you see it. Feel free to chime in....
No matter what your past experiences, I think Jesus DID have something different in mind. And while no church is perfect - and some traditions CAN be very Biblical and helpful in spiritual development - it is my opinion that there are a few things a person should look for in choosing a solid church.
First, a person should be concerned with whether a church passionately and faithfully preaches and teaches the Bible - and specifically the GOSPEL of grace.
Secondly, a solid church will be concerned with playing a significant role in God's universal CHURCH in the local community and the world. The early church gave much attention to caring for one another's needs as brothers and sisters in Christ - building one another up and "spurring each other on toward love and good deeds."
Thirdly, one should be concerned with whether the church in question has a clear passion for impacting the CULTURE - rather than fearfully circling the wagons and retreating into a realm of separatism. In other words, a Biblical church should strive to be IN but not OF the world-system, taking every opportunity to bring the life-changing hope of the Gospel to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of everyone without prejudice.
In his great book "The Radical Refomission", Mark Driscoll points out the crucial need for local churches committing to this triune focus on the GOSPEL, the CHURCH and the CULTURE - and spells out the consequences of leaving one or more out of the picture. Driscoll argues that when Christians focus on....
GOSPEL plus CULTURE while ignoring the CHURCH - we get parachurch ministry. This is not to say that all parachurch ministries fail to work in partnership with or as arms of the local church. He simply points out that many parachurch ministries don't last because they are formed as rebel movements against perceived or real failures within the organized local church rather than initiating reform from within.
He then adds that when we focus on....
CULTURE and CHURCH without the GOSPEL - we get liberalism. Theological liberalism has all but destroyed many once-vibrant mainline denominations. By neutering the Gospel of the miraculous and the eternal, it becomes little more than a network of social do-good efforts aimed at meeting temporal needs. Christ's words then take on special significance when He said, "What good will it profit a person to gain the whole world (materially speaking) and yet lose his own soul?"
Finally, he adds that when a church focuses on....
CHURCH and the GOSPEL while ignoring CULTURE - we get fundamentalism. Modern Christian fundamentalism is that movement which began in the early 20th century as a response to the rise of secular humanism. Honorable in its original intentions, the fundamentalist movement has often become a culturally-irrelevant band of complainers who can scarcely appreciate any beauty or truth in anything outside of their own circles and angrily condemn the very sinners Jesus came to save.
At Valley Church, we aim - however imperfectly - to care deeply about all three of these realities. Proclaiming the Bible and the Gospel it reveals, meeting the needs of one another as best we can through generous love, and caring about the culture so much as to seek to live out Christ's kingdom values over and against the myopic selfishness of secular society. I'm sure a person could pick apart 100 different ways in which we are failing to achieve these goals at any given time. But we ARE trying - and will continue to try by the grace of God.
As beggars at the door of God's mercy, we at Valley are being transformed into grateful followers of Jesus day by day. I would invite you to come join us beginning this weekend at one of our three gatherings - 8am, 9:30am or 11am on Sundays - 5063 Maple Road in Vacaville. Who knows? You might just begin to start entertaining a POSITIVE concept of "church" to replace the one you now live with. I'd also be interested to know your opinion about "church" as you see it. Feel free to chime in....
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Vintage Faith in a Cutting-Edge World
I am thrilled to begin a brand new teaching series at Valley on June 14. It's called "Vintage - Ancient Values for a Relevant Faith." In relation to that series, I've asked a few people, how they would complete the following sentence: "If I could change or improve my church, I would......." Then I ask them to think beyond the programs and events they are currently involved in or benefit from. Think beyond the personalities they interact with. D.L. Moody is said to have prayed the following on a regular basis: "God, my generation has yet to see the impact of just one man wholly committed to Jesus. Let me be that man!" What if this was the prayer of an entire church? What if - by learning from the Book of Acts - we surrendered ourselves more completely to BEING the hands and feet of Jesus? I invite you to come hang out with us beginning June 14. Let this be the summer God radically changes your perspective.....
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Show Me the Money!
This weekend I am preaching on the subject of giving and generosity. Sadly, speaking about handling money is one of the most unpopular topics for pastors to preach on. Often if we touch the subject at all, we do so with the awkwardness of a 16-year old chess club member asking a cheerleader to the junior prom! And the televangelists don't help us any. Many people filter their views about Christianity through the skewed lense they see in the Big-Haired, Rolex-wearing, Benz-driving guys begging for money on TV. Please understand, I'm not judging you if you drive a Benz or wear a nice watch.....unless you are simultaneously begging for money!
Back on topic, the reality is that generosity (with our money, talent and time) is a deeply spiritual issue and is addressed in hundreds of places in the Bible. Yet (along with "Hell" and the Book of Leviticus) generosity is usually one of our least favorite subjects. This should not be so! As the soon-to-be-installed new lead pastor of our church, it is my responsibility to teach the whole counsel of God - both the comfortable and the uncomfortable. You might be thinking, "Isn't that a dangerous thing to tackle before you've even been officially installed - especially in the midst of an economic recession?" My answer would be "NO WAY!" (C'mon, I recently taught a 4-week series on SEX - and nobody ran me off for that!)
Next month, our church will celebrate the 30th year of ministry of our founding pastor - and shortly thereafter he will hand the ball off to me. I am humbled by this and reminded of what life was like 30 years ago when he began at Valley Church. America was facing deep economic recession, the wake of an unpopular war, and the heat of moral upheaval generated by the 1960's and 70's. (Does any of this sound familiar?). And through it all, Valley has become one of the most influential and impacting churches in our city. Ultimately it has been all God's doing. But God works through people! Specifically, people who learn to be increasingly generous with the precious resources God loans to us in this life - our time, talents and treasure. Our founding pastor never let the challenges of the day quench his faith in God's ability to do great things - and I pray for that same grace for myself and the people who join with me on the next leg of our journey!
If you don't have a church, come join us this week at Valley or visit us online at www.valleychurch.com. And keep checking back for our new web site coming soon!
Back on topic, the reality is that generosity (with our money, talent and time) is a deeply spiritual issue and is addressed in hundreds of places in the Bible. Yet (along with "Hell" and the Book of Leviticus) generosity is usually one of our least favorite subjects. This should not be so! As the soon-to-be-installed new lead pastor of our church, it is my responsibility to teach the whole counsel of God - both the comfortable and the uncomfortable. You might be thinking, "Isn't that a dangerous thing to tackle before you've even been officially installed - especially in the midst of an economic recession?" My answer would be "NO WAY!" (C'mon, I recently taught a 4-week series on SEX - and nobody ran me off for that!)
Next month, our church will celebrate the 30th year of ministry of our founding pastor - and shortly thereafter he will hand the ball off to me. I am humbled by this and reminded of what life was like 30 years ago when he began at Valley Church. America was facing deep economic recession, the wake of an unpopular war, and the heat of moral upheaval generated by the 1960's and 70's. (Does any of this sound familiar?). And through it all, Valley has become one of the most influential and impacting churches in our city. Ultimately it has been all God's doing. But God works through people! Specifically, people who learn to be increasingly generous with the precious resources God loans to us in this life - our time, talents and treasure. Our founding pastor never let the challenges of the day quench his faith in God's ability to do great things - and I pray for that same grace for myself and the people who join with me on the next leg of our journey!
If you don't have a church, come join us this week at Valley or visit us online at www.valleychurch.com. And keep checking back for our new web site coming soon!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tolerance for Everyone....except Christians?
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the controversies stirring in California over the recent passing of Prop 8, and the current debate over HR 1913. The former was the passage of a law defining legal marriage in California as only being recognized between a man and a woman. This of course brought much outrage from those on the political and ideological left. The latter relates to criminalizing the advancement of any negative opinion regarding the gay lifestyle, defining almost any such expression as “hate speech.”
Why are the self-proclaimed prophets of tolerance in California’s political far-left so ardent in their desire to suppress freedom of speech among those who view homosexual behavior as a moral issue rather than an issue of civil rights? It is a question worth investigating.
In one sense, I can affirm their distrust of much of what they’ve seen from organized religion. While I don’t believe the vast majority of Christians are hateful toward homosexuals, there have been a handful in the vocal minority of self-professing religious people who have written and spoken some very ugly, un-Christlike things about fellow human beings who practice a gay lifestyle. Unfortunately, the arrogance and vitriol of this vocal minority has discredited many of those who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle but desire to engage in respectful, honest dialogue over the issue.
Theoretically, HR 1913 could criminalize any effort to publically teach that homosexual behavior is wrong or immoral according to the Bible. This means that pastors, teachers and other Christian leaders could be prosecuted for a hate crime simply for publically affirming their disagreement with homosexual behavior based on Biblical convictions.
Whatever a person’s view on the issue of homosexuality, a legislative maneuver like this should cause all red-blooded Americans significant outrage. Case in point: as a Christian myself, I realize that most self-professed followers of Christ are not the archaic, right-wing bigots they are frequently caricatured as in much of the media. Yet while I disagree with those generalities, I will ALWAYS defend a person’s right to say it. The same laws that protect my right to read and teach the Bible as I see it also protect the right of others to insult me.
As I alluded to above, the key issue in this debate is that homosexuality has become accepted by many as a civil rights issue as opposed to an ethical one. Many would argue that even though honest scientists admit that the jury is still a long way out regarding whether homosexuality is a chosen behavior versus a natural orientation, gays and lesbians are being given the status of actual minorities who DO deserve protection against slanderous hate speech provided in civil rights laws.
As a pastor, I am certainly against public defamation of particular individuals. In my opinion, no law-abiding citizen should be personally targeted for any act of intimidation or harassment for any reason – especially by someone who claims to be a Christian. However, to attempt to incriminate a Christian leader for teaching that homosexuality is one of a myriad of sinful behaviors in the world seems unconscionable. What do you think?
Why are the self-proclaimed prophets of tolerance in California’s political far-left so ardent in their desire to suppress freedom of speech among those who view homosexual behavior as a moral issue rather than an issue of civil rights? It is a question worth investigating.
In one sense, I can affirm their distrust of much of what they’ve seen from organized religion. While I don’t believe the vast majority of Christians are hateful toward homosexuals, there have been a handful in the vocal minority of self-professing religious people who have written and spoken some very ugly, un-Christlike things about fellow human beings who practice a gay lifestyle. Unfortunately, the arrogance and vitriol of this vocal minority has discredited many of those who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle but desire to engage in respectful, honest dialogue over the issue.
Theoretically, HR 1913 could criminalize any effort to publically teach that homosexual behavior is wrong or immoral according to the Bible. This means that pastors, teachers and other Christian leaders could be prosecuted for a hate crime simply for publically affirming their disagreement with homosexual behavior based on Biblical convictions.
Whatever a person’s view on the issue of homosexuality, a legislative maneuver like this should cause all red-blooded Americans significant outrage. Case in point: as a Christian myself, I realize that most self-professed followers of Christ are not the archaic, right-wing bigots they are frequently caricatured as in much of the media. Yet while I disagree with those generalities, I will ALWAYS defend a person’s right to say it. The same laws that protect my right to read and teach the Bible as I see it also protect the right of others to insult me.
As I alluded to above, the key issue in this debate is that homosexuality has become accepted by many as a civil rights issue as opposed to an ethical one. Many would argue that even though honest scientists admit that the jury is still a long way out regarding whether homosexuality is a chosen behavior versus a natural orientation, gays and lesbians are being given the status of actual minorities who DO deserve protection against slanderous hate speech provided in civil rights laws.
As a pastor, I am certainly against public defamation of particular individuals. In my opinion, no law-abiding citizen should be personally targeted for any act of intimidation or harassment for any reason – especially by someone who claims to be a Christian. However, to attempt to incriminate a Christian leader for teaching that homosexuality is one of a myriad of sinful behaviors in the world seems unconscionable. What do you think?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Relationships and Random Kindness
I'm sitting in Peet's coffee on a Saturday morning waiting for a friend to arrive. As I wait, I'm engaged in one of my favorite pasttimes: people-watching. I know its rather nosey, but when I see people walk in for their morning cup of caffiene, I'm astutely aware that each of these people have a story as unique as their DNA.
As a pastor, I'm constantly thinking about how our individual stories intersect with God's Story - the unfolding drama of his love affair with mankind. Sometimes I wish I had the ability of Jesus to be able to see into the recesses of a person's heart so as to know exactly how to encourage them. However, while I am a human being like Jesus, I don't have the God-thing going for me. Therefore, I am bound by the need to engage in relationships in order to befriend someone on this deeper level.
The need for building relationships runs against the grain of our "efficiency-centered" worldview. From a human perspective, caring enough to build relationships is not effecient for several reasons. For one thing, time is a factor. Investing in another person relationally takes time and patience - requiring much more effort than drowning our hours away in front of a computer or TV screen. A second factor making relationships inefficient is the limit of our own capacities. A friend of mind describes this reality in terms of Legos. As finite humans, we have a limited number of connectors. Once our capacity to connect fills up, we simply don't have room for new connections - at least not deep ones.
Yet I think this is OK. Jesus modeled this for us in that while He was Almighty God, He voluntarily limited Himself as a human. Jesus only had a handful of really close friends. Yet, He multiplied His ministry through that handful of friends to the extent that 2000 years later, 2.3 billion people claim allegience to Jesus. This is good news for us in our finiteness! Jesus said that we are His body and that each of us plays a vital role in relationally investing in those for whom He gave His life!
Don't be discouraged if you don't feel "efficient" enough to have a million deep relationships. Just make sure you're loving well those already in your life - and be open to God bringing more along in His timing. Look for little ways to bless those who God puts in your path. Secular culture calls this "random acts of kindness". Followers of Jesus see it as "divine appointments" - believing that no encounter with another human being is random.
Even as I write this blog from my cell phone, the friend I was supposed to meet has not shown up. Yet, it's no accident that I'm here. What you don't know is that the writing of this blog has transpired over the course of more than an hour. In that time, I ran into some old classmates from Bible College that just "happened" to be cruising through town. Then a "random" lady named Brenda walked up to my table a few minutes later and said she was a Christian and that she felt God had laid a message on her heart that she felt compelled to tell me. I invited her to tell me and she spoke the following:
"I feel that God wants you to know that you are going to be a spiritual shepherd to many people - and that God sees the way you've served Him with joy, even through difficult times. He is going to use you to rebuild the broken lives of others and to lead many into a deeper understanding of Jesus. God wants you to know that He notices your service and desires to richly reward you. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but I felt that God wanted me to tell you that." I was blown away by this woman's words. She doesn't even know me, yet steps out of her comfort zone to encourage me. She had no clue that I'm about to take on a new role as the point leader of our church. After 14 years in youth ministry and heading into the simultaneous thrill and insecuruty of leading a church - her words could not have made MORE sense!
So I sit here at Peet's, aware more than ever that even when an appointment fails to show up, I was here for a reason. I'm not typically one of those types who places much credence in so-called "messages from God". But this one was biblical, delivered humbly and precise to the situation at hand. I thank God for strengthening my own faith today through Brenda. She was His mouthpiece in this divine appointment - reminding me that nothing is ever random with God! I'm thankful that the fear of inefficiency didn't stop her from stepping out in faith to encourage a "random" guy blogging on his cell phone at Peet's coffee on a Saturday morning. Now go BE that divine appointment in someone else's day!
As a pastor, I'm constantly thinking about how our individual stories intersect with God's Story - the unfolding drama of his love affair with mankind. Sometimes I wish I had the ability of Jesus to be able to see into the recesses of a person's heart so as to know exactly how to encourage them. However, while I am a human being like Jesus, I don't have the God-thing going for me. Therefore, I am bound by the need to engage in relationships in order to befriend someone on this deeper level.
The need for building relationships runs against the grain of our "efficiency-centered" worldview. From a human perspective, caring enough to build relationships is not effecient for several reasons. For one thing, time is a factor. Investing in another person relationally takes time and patience - requiring much more effort than drowning our hours away in front of a computer or TV screen. A second factor making relationships inefficient is the limit of our own capacities. A friend of mind describes this reality in terms of Legos. As finite humans, we have a limited number of connectors. Once our capacity to connect fills up, we simply don't have room for new connections - at least not deep ones.
Yet I think this is OK. Jesus modeled this for us in that while He was Almighty God, He voluntarily limited Himself as a human. Jesus only had a handful of really close friends. Yet, He multiplied His ministry through that handful of friends to the extent that 2000 years later, 2.3 billion people claim allegience to Jesus. This is good news for us in our finiteness! Jesus said that we are His body and that each of us plays a vital role in relationally investing in those for whom He gave His life!
Don't be discouraged if you don't feel "efficient" enough to have a million deep relationships. Just make sure you're loving well those already in your life - and be open to God bringing more along in His timing. Look for little ways to bless those who God puts in your path. Secular culture calls this "random acts of kindness". Followers of Jesus see it as "divine appointments" - believing that no encounter with another human being is random.
Even as I write this blog from my cell phone, the friend I was supposed to meet has not shown up. Yet, it's no accident that I'm here. What you don't know is that the writing of this blog has transpired over the course of more than an hour. In that time, I ran into some old classmates from Bible College that just "happened" to be cruising through town. Then a "random" lady named Brenda walked up to my table a few minutes later and said she was a Christian and that she felt God had laid a message on her heart that she felt compelled to tell me. I invited her to tell me and she spoke the following:
"I feel that God wants you to know that you are going to be a spiritual shepherd to many people - and that God sees the way you've served Him with joy, even through difficult times. He is going to use you to rebuild the broken lives of others and to lead many into a deeper understanding of Jesus. God wants you to know that He notices your service and desires to richly reward you. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but I felt that God wanted me to tell you that." I was blown away by this woman's words. She doesn't even know me, yet steps out of her comfort zone to encourage me. She had no clue that I'm about to take on a new role as the point leader of our church. After 14 years in youth ministry and heading into the simultaneous thrill and insecuruty of leading a church - her words could not have made MORE sense!
So I sit here at Peet's, aware more than ever that even when an appointment fails to show up, I was here for a reason. I'm not typically one of those types who places much credence in so-called "messages from God". But this one was biblical, delivered humbly and precise to the situation at hand. I thank God for strengthening my own faith today through Brenda. She was His mouthpiece in this divine appointment - reminding me that nothing is ever random with God! I'm thankful that the fear of inefficiency didn't stop her from stepping out in faith to encourage a "random" guy blogging on his cell phone at Peet's coffee on a Saturday morning. Now go BE that divine appointment in someone else's day!
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