Bill

Bill

It is an encounter that takes up only eleven verses (14:22-33) in the book of Matthew.  But it is an encounter that would shape lives from there on.  All of us identifies with one of the personalities involved.  We have Jesus who has just finished a time of prayer and seeks to reconnect with the disciples in a boat in the middle of the lake while a storm blows.  Jesus decides to walk to them, on the water no less.

We have a boat load of disciples who are exhausted, fearful, and I imagine praying.  They have been in this boat for several hours.  Between the wind and waves, the hour is early in the morning and they are still trying to make it to shore.  It is like being caught in a Midwest blizzard with ice and snow with a long way to go.  Of course, they are praying.  Then they see Jesus.

When they see his presence, their first impressions are – don’t know.  To explain it they cast about and fearfully decide it is a ghost on the water.  Then, Jesus calls out to them, “Take heart, it is I.  Do not be afraid.”

Then our other personality reveals himself, Peter.  Whether testimony or confirmation, Peter calls out, “Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water.” 

Jesus responds, “Come.”

We all know the story.  Many times, throughout history all of us have identified with Peter or the others within the boat.  We want to believe that we would have the faith of Peter to try.  Then we have moments where we find ourselves staying in the boat with the others.  The thing to remember in these moments, that it is all about Jesus. 

Some of us have the bravado of Peter and say, “Call me to come” and I will.  Others of us say all kinds of things like, “He’s stupid.”  Another might say, “I hope he makes it.”  Another is cheering, “Go, Peter, Go.”  Trust me, there is also one who is saying, “I want to try.”  The neat thing about the story is that all of them together make the story.

I don’t know where you are in your walk of faith.  What I do know is that you are part of the story.  I don’t know if you are in the boat questioning Peter’s decision or cheering.  Maybe you are like Peter and you are already stepping over the gunwales of the boat.  Here’s what I do know, you are part of the story and the only other thing that is important is Jesus.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.

FCC has some big things coming.  Some of us will question.  Others of us will hope.  Others of us will ask, “when is it my turn?”  All of us will draw upon the last vestiges of our strength and know for sure that Jesus is in control.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, he calms the storms and encourages us to take it to the next level, “Do you want to get out of the boat?”

C U on the 13^th,

Bill

The FCC Elders are preparing lunch for the FCC family on the 22^nd of September.  Rick is firing up his smoker and preparing several other wonderful delights.  The lunch will be in the Fellowship building following the services.  Invite your family and friends and plan for a wonderful time of fellowship.  It is our elder’s way of showing their appreciation for the church family and all that each of you do. 

During the Old Testament times, the elders would have been like the city council.  At other times, they were counselors to kings and many other political settings.   In another setting in scripture the elders would have been similar to the “Judge.”  The elders led the local synagogues in the New Testament times and as the church begins and develops, we find the elders leading the church.

The titles for the elders throughout scripture may be presbyter, bishops, leaders and overseer.  The Apostle Paul comments (1 Timothy 3:1) “This saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task.” 

My favorite title for an elder is shepherd.  There is nothing that glitters about a shepherd.  In fact, if you get within a few feet of one, he smells like the sheep that he tends.  The job demands have no clock and they tend to stretch the shepherd beyond his comfort zone.  They love the job in order to be at peace with the demands and the job is all about the flock.  Since many shepherds work for an owner, then it really becomes about the flock and the pleasure of the owner.  The shepherd is the owner’s on-site elder.

The owner and creator of the church flock is Jesus.  The church is and always will belong to Jesus.  The men that serve as “elders” are the on-site shepherds of Jesus’ flock.  They have no clock as to the time they put into it.  They will go beyond their comfort zones.  They will pray without ceasing because the flock is threatened.  They will spend countless hours scouring the directions (reading His Bible) of the owner, Jesus.

So let me urge you like Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” 

Enjoy the “Shepherd feed”

Bill

C U Sunday,

Bill

When life hands us the uneasy what will come of it?  For most of my life I have been a runner.  It was my claim to identity.  When struggling with the pecking order of the first-grade school yard, my place was determined by running faster than everybody else.  My first trial in running was a regional track meet and coming in last.  Being able to outrun my peers in the schoolyard didn’t happen when running with other runners from the region.  My mom gave her tidbit of motherly wisdom while I cried on the way home, “Billy if you would walk to school you would be faster.”  I walked to school until my Junior year of high school even though I had a car.

When life hands us the uneasy, it is easy to curl up in a corner and call it quits.  If you are going to overcome, it becomes a matter of our focus on endurance.  Many of us have moments in life when endurance is important.  We endure the gluttonous feeling of “I ate too much.”  We endure taxes, mechanical expenses, aging and more when it comes to our right to drive and own a car.  We endure many uncomfortable, frustrating, and even embarrassing moments for our children.  But when challenged by life’s hardships with other things we surprisingly back away and curl up in our corner and show no evidence of endurance.  Why is that?

For many of us it is our Christian walk.  God calls us to obedience, but it challenges our pleasures.  Endurance disappears.  The Bible calls us to church attendance whereby we grow, but it cuts into our weekend. Endurance disappears.  Jesus speaks to loving the unlovable, but they make us so angry.  Endurance disappears.  Endurance becomes the fruit we don’t want to grow.

James (1:2-4) tells us, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  We live in the culture of the easy which is resistant to endurance.  But the nature of Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) “…who for the joy set before him endured the cross,…”calls to us endure.

Next time you consider curling up and forgetting your trials know that you are growing the spiritual fruit called endurance.  Paul says (2 Timothy 2:12-13), “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself [God].  Now that’s endurance God continues to be faithful, no matter what.

We live in a time that it is not easy to get along.  The news is full of the “don’t get along” so there’s no need for me to illustrate that.  Social Media is swamped with the “don’t get along” so, why would I need to tell you about that.  Morning coffee groups tend to separate into those who think one way or the other.  Work becomes driven with making sure that you don’t offend the one in charge.  School is made up of cliques burdened with peer pressure this way or that.  So, our temptation becomes “this is what I think and if you are hanging with me, you will think the same way I do.”

The American culture thrives on “this is what I think.”  We tend to idolize the independent thinker and if you disagree with me, we “don’t get along.”  If you don’t think so, just check out the historical continental congress and even some of the early campaigns (1700s and early 1800s).  For instance, look at the John Adams and Thomas Jefferson bid for the presidency.

Take another step back in history, the Garden of Eden and the recently created Adam and Eve.  God’s standard was clear (Genesis 2:17), “Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  The relationship that Adam and Eve shared with God was unbelievable.  God made a regular physical appearance to them in the garden.  All of them cherished this time together.  But man sought to be his own “man” and sin enters the creation.  Pretty much the first thing to vanish was the relationship with God.  Why is it that the first thing to disappear with our independent thinking are our relationships?  Furthermore, why is it that in order for a relationship to thrive we must practice humility and lay aside some of our independence?

It isn’t easy to be humble.  Our schools are educating children in teamwork and humility.  The workplace is striving to put forth a vision which draws together members of the work force in teamwork and humility.  The greatest victories of America are the ones where we come together (usually against a common foe) and humbly accept each other.  Why is it then that God’s creations are looked upon as trivial and out-of-date? 

God created man & woman who humbly lay aside their independence and are joined together in marriage.  God created family and siblings to teach us that humility in sharing is a priority for relationships.  God created church in which our priorities are humbly relating to God first and then, each other.  One instance, foot washing doesn’t happen with independent thinking.  God created government and the only way that it really works well is when “…he who is least among you all—he is the greatest. (Luke 9:48).”

It isn’t easy to relate with someone else, but the benefits are God made.

Bill

It is a rather common occurrence to lay down our phone and not be able to find it.  It is such a problem they created an app to locate your phone.  Or so they say.  Recently Susie misplaced an iPad on a flight we were on.  What you thought would have been easy instead led us to “limbo land.”  The iPad was never to be found. 

The process to find the lost iPad led us to the airline stewardess (multiple times).  Then it took us to Apple.  Then we were directed to AT&T.  Then we were told to check with lost and found at the airline.  Then we were told to fill out a form(s).  Meanwhile everybody kept referring us back to the app.  I seriously think that our iPad found its way to another dimension and a galaxy far, far away.  But trust me we searched valiantly for that iPad.

Many people approach God in prayer as if there were an “app for that.”  Every time you push the app on your phone another prayer is uttered.  Several different faiths have turned prayer into rituals of such as spinning a metal cylinder or hanging a prayer flag so that every time it waves in the wind a prayer is sent God-ward.  Many of us think that when more of us are praying it will tip the scales with God and the answers will have a positive ending.  Prayer wasn’t meant to be a mindless ritual whereby God will automatically produce our request. 

Among the first occurrences in Genesis of a new creation – man & woman had time each day sharing with God.  When sin entered our world in Genesis 3 among the first tragedies that occurred was that God had to search for man and woman who hid in shame.  Their sharing time was broken.  If we were to call this time “prayer” — which I believe it is – prayer immediately became far more complicated.  Therefore, when we seek to pray it will not come easily.

There are multiple obstacles to our prayers and our sharing time with God.  They will range from busy-ness to misunderstandings.  Sin will influence our hearts and our prayers.  If you remember, Adam & Eve hid from God.  Sometimes we are hiding from God.  Rituals can invade our desire to have sharing time with God.  However, if we persist and truly want to spend time with God, our prayer lives will become rich testimonies of what God has done and is doing. 

Remember the face of Moses glowed because of his sharing time with God.  Because of it, Moses had to wear a veil.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 

May your prayer life lead to the need to wear a veil.

C U Sunday,

Bill