Friday Remix: Expiration Date

The magazine section of Saturday’s paper included a fascinating article on life expectancy, and included a link to http://www.livingto100.com.  On the website, I completed a “life expectancy calculator.”  It asked questions about diet and exercise habits… home life and family… job related stress… personal hygiene (did you know you can add up to fours years to your life by flossing your teeth everyday?)… family medical history – then used this information to calculate how long I could expect to live.

I won’t tell you the age the calculator gave me, but I was “okay” with my result, at first.  It is older than the current ages of my parents, and years longer than any of my grandparents lived. It did torque me a little that Vicki will apparently outlive me by six or seven years…

But then I started thinking… About how old my children will be at the “check out date” I was given… About things I want to see and do with my wife… About ministry and mission work I’d love to be involved in…

Suddenly, my expiration date seems to come way too soon.

Because we have no guarantees of how long will live, our focus should be on how we live. In the Scriptures there are a handful of verses from Exodus and Deuteronomy that promised long life to the Children of Israel if they kept the Law. Apart from that, the thrust of the Bible message on age and length of life is focused on quality, not quantity.

How would we live if we could know when our “number” was coming up? I suspect I would try to make each day count… My wife would never doubt how much I love her, need her, and support her… My kids would be well prepared to face life with a foundation of faith… I would be serious about sharing the Gospel with the lost, befriending the lonely, offering hope to the hurting…

I guess I’ve had the sobering realization that I won’t live on this earth forever, and that most encounters with other people are more significant than we know.  I want to really live, and not just mark time on a calendar.  I want to spend my remaining days on this planet – however many or few there might be – in such a way that eternal life will just be a change of venue.

Now, I gotta go floss…

Skipping Stones 02.23.09

Thoughts jumping across the pond in my head…

• Winter took another poke at us!  A cold, slushy Sunday…
• Strong attendance – and some of our returning guests brought new people with them!  
• Worship band did an incredible job!  Except, when Jesi started kicking her violin around, I had a flashback to a Who concert from like 30 years ago.  Or maybe it was Kansas…
• Finished up the “Deadliest Catch” message series, looking at Jonah’s tendency to whine and to withhold grace from those who need it most.  God wants to use us to change eternity for somebody — and He’ll put us through the ringer if necessary to get us “usable”.  Never forget that we LIVE in Ninevah!  Check out the audio: Messages Online
• Thanks to all who gave generously to help us deal with requests for winter heating assistance.  Every dollar makes a difference.
• A “good” problem to have – lots of students involved in Friction who need rides home on Wednesday nights.  We just have so many heading in different directions to be able to get everyone home in the church van.  If you drive a minivan or SUV and could haul 3 or 4 (or 5) kids home on a Wednesday evening every now and then, please contact me ASAP.
• Very interesting  installment of “Financial Peace University” last night – Dave talked about insurance.   I think Chris E. – who’s done an outstanding job as a substitute, did I mention that already? – was glad to have Greg the insurance guru back for this session.
• Great deacon’s meeting yesterday afternoon – last session with the team in this configuration.  We talked about the 3 E’s of connecting at Jubilee: Environments, Experiences, and Events.  Thanks to Jim, Bob, and Mike for their service these past three years.  Looking forward to having Jason, Josh, and Pam on board next month.
• I’m excited about two upcoming message series – “Journey to the Cross” which I’ll talk about in a later blog post, and “The God Questions” which we’ll kick off Easter Sunday.  We will be doing some MAJOR outreach and getting the word out about “The God Questions” – more details to come, quickly!
• 52 Books Update – I’ve gone back to re-read some of “Simple Church” – it just fits with the direction we are moving.  Since I can only count it once, and I don’t want to get 2 weeks behind – I pulled out a little book by Andy Stanley, “How Good is Good Enough.”  It’s the one we’re going to give away to first time guests in the near future.
• American Idol update – Danny Gokey sailed through the first round of 36, but Anoop Desai did not make it.  There’s still hope that he could be picked up as a wildcard – those are going to be selected by the judges I believe.  Idol got off to a slow start, but it’s heating up quick!

Have a great week!

Skipping Stones 02.15.09

• It was a beautiful morning – cold, but sunny and not a cloud in the sky.  It did get cloudy as the day went on.  Winter isn’t done with us yet, though…
• Worship band did another fine job – and the special song was fantastic!  I could even hear Josh singing on that one!
• We had some first time guests and some returning guests!  
• In the third installment of our “Deadliest Catch” message series on the life of Jonah, we saw that our God is a God of second chances – He spoke to Jonah “a second time”… He changed His mind about destroying Ninevah… He extends his mercy and grace to everyone from barbaric heathens to runaway prophets.
• Another great installment of “Financial Peace University” last night – be sure to ask Ron Flora about making MAJOR purchases without consulting your spouse… He’s something of an expert.
• We had 19 walkers for the Rescue Mission Winter walk, and raised well over $1000!  Thanks to all who participated.  If you meant to contribute, but haven’t yet, get with me as soon as possible.  All money will go to the Open Arms Women’s and Children’s Shelter.
• I got to meet and talk with Rescue Mission director, Van Taylor – very nice guy… He already knew a little about us – he said, quote, “Yeah, you guys live in the house that has the bicycles all over the yard and sidewalk…”  Yep, that’s us…
• I know I’ve picked the right Valentine’s Day cards when they make Vic cry.
• 52 Books Update – picked up “Crazy Love” last week, but haven’t started it yet.  I’m reading outside my normal “zone” this week – a book called “Areas of My Expertise” by John Hodgman.  It’s strictly humor – hysterical made up stuff presented as fact in almanac style.  Silly, but fun!  You may know Hodgman as “the PC” in the Mac and PC ads – a very funny guy.
• Our average Sunday morning worship attendance is up 30% over last year!  God is clearly up to something – let’s join Him!
• American Idol update: my man Danny Gokey made it to the top 36!  Another favorite did too – last week I identified him as “David.”  Well, it turns out his name is Anoop… Yeah, I always get those two names mixed up.
• The NASCAR season has officially started… Around our house NASCAR stands for Nap At Scott’s Couch And Recliner…

Skipping Stones 02.10.09

Thoughts jumping across the pond in my head…

• Somebody flipped a switch and we warmed up fast!  I could not believe how quick the snow melted.  Looks like we’re in for some rough weather later this week though…
• GREAT DAY Sunday!  We had several new faces and very strong attendance.  
• Second message in the “Deadliest Catch” series – We saw Jonah trapped in a fish – horrific circumstances that God was able to use to turn his life around and get him back on track. 
• Chris E. did a great job with the Financial Peace University class, filling in for Greg.  It’s neat to see how what we’re learning really is taking hold in some folks lives.  If you didn’t take the class this time, we will offer it again, probably in the fall.  Don’t let anything – hopelessness, false pride, embarrassment, etc. – keep you away.
• We’ve got three outstanding Deacon candidates – Josh B., Jason G., and Pam M. – please be in prayer for each of them during confirmation month, and we will install them March 1st.
• Don’t forget the Second Saturday Project!  We will be doing the Kokomo Rescue Missions Winter Walk.  Raise $50 in suppor to walk and get a free t-shirt!  We will leave the church at 8 AM Saturday and return around 11.
• 52 Books in a Year update – finally cracking “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer.  I must have had it recommended to me once a week for the past couple of years.  I love Rainer’s work and this one grabbed me from page 1.
• We went to our 13 year old’s opening wrestling meet last night – he didn’t win, but man, he has improved so much.  He’s faster and stronger.  I predict he’ll have a very good year. It seemed like half the team was from our youth group. Props to Anthony, Cole, and Jake on their wins last night.  
• Since you’re dying to know: My early fav on “American Idol” is Danny Gokey – the music teacher from Milwaukee whose wife passed away last year.  We also like David (?) and several of the ladies.  I was disappointed that they “blew through” the auditions – I love ‘em – but it looks like a very good competition this year.
• Here’s why we ask people to turn their cell phones off in church – God is watching…

Friday Remix: Batteries not included…

 

I have a fountain on my desk. It’s cheap and plastic, but it came with real rocks!  I call it my “stream of living water…” But there’s an unanticipated problem: the batteries wear out, and the “never-ending stream” stops flowing.  Of course the issue is the power source – double “A”batteries are only temporary, they get weaker and weaker, and eventually they die.

And the truth is, the same thing happens to me and my “stream of living water” if I’m only drawing from a fleshly, temporal power source. If I “feed the stream,” it will only last for a little while. If it’s fed by “Christ in me,” it will be an unending source of living, and life-giving, water.

Jesus said if we drink that water, we would never be thirsty again. Well, I still get thirsty, but it’s not Jesus’ fault. I let that well run dry when I disconnect from His power source and try to live in my own strength. How long will I just use the Bible for sermon material? How often will I have the crashing realization when I start to pray in a worship service that this is the first time I’ve prayed in days? How many times will I try to tell thirsty people where to find water, while speaking through a parched throat and cracked, dry lips?

The apostle Paul had the right idea, when he said in Ephesians 5:18 that we should put ourselves in the place where we can continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit. My prayer today is to be constantly full of the Holy Spirit, and for my flesh to die to the point where I can say with Paul, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Faith and the Future

Mark Beeson, Pastor of Granger Community Church near South Bend, IN posted this amazing, thought-provoking video on his blog a couple of days ago:

Mark’s comments: Our economy is down and the world is changing fast.  Whether we’re slipping into darkness or poised for unprecedented success depends on our next steps.  When I watch this video I feel like I should try to bump up my game a notch or two. How about you?

My comments: In my last message of 2008, I talked about “Changing the World from a Cornfield.”  We’re a small church in a small community – how are we going to change the world?  Here’s part of what I said:

The rapid development of technology is shrinking this world…  Folks, remember when they showed us those films in school of what the future would look like?  It’s coming true!  Not the bubble top cars – closest we ever got to that was the AMC Pacer! – or meals in a single capsule – but technology, the computer and communication stuff they told us about is rapidly becoming reality…

 Video conferencing and computer based meeting technology makes it possible for us to disciple and train leaders all over the world from right here in Flora!  We can be connected in real time to churches and ministry leaders EVERYWHERE!   

The eternal truth of God’s word and the continual development of technology makes global ministry not just a possibility – but a reality!

That video produces awe in me, excitement and anticipation, but not fear or panic – if we will harness the technology, leverage it as part of our outreach strategy, we will touch lives all over the world in ways that would not have been possible even five years ago.

TODAY is the day to begin dreaming God-sized dreams and partnering with Him to do God-sized things.

Skipping Stones

Thoughts that are jumping across the pond in my head…

• A slight warm up over the weekend got rid of most of the snow and ice from sidewalks and roads.  Still looks like frozen tundra from my office window, though…
• Battling a cold, which is never any fun.  Oh well, maybe breathing through the nose is overrated.
• Worship band was stellar yesterday!  We REALLY missed our “fiddle player” though.
• Kicked off a new message series – “Deadliest Catch” – on the story of Jonah.  We saw that Jonah’s story – disobedient, on the run from God, MAJOR whiner – is also our story.  We do some crazy things to keep from just simply doing what God said do.  Will it take a “great fish” for us to get it?
• We continue to see life change happening – prayed yesterday with a man who acknowledged his storm and recognized he needed God to get him through it.  
• Enjoyed the Super Bowl with family, foods, and friends… Most of us have school age children, so the party always breaks up at halftime.  
• Props to the Cardinals – I seriously thought it would be a blow out, but Warner and Co. kept it close and, with slightly better clock management at the end, could have won it. (said the Monday morning quarterback…)
• My favorite SB commercial: The men who had all sorts of injury inflicted on them and jumped right up and said, “I’m good!”  As I typed that I realized I have no idea what they were advertising…
• 52 Books in a year update – I am now one full week behind.  Glad I have those short Driscoll books to catch up!  This week I’m reading “Look Away” by William Davis, a history of the Confederate States of America.
• Got to be part of a great video conference call today with some of the guys from the Relevant Network – looking forward to making further connections with some exciting and visionary leaders.
• Getting excited about our Second Saturday project on the 14th – the Winter Walk at Kokomo Rescue Mission – hopefully you’re recruiting sponsors too.  $50 minimum to join the team – $1000 is our goal.
• That’s all for today – watch this space for some intersting and thought-provoking blogs in the days to come.
• OH! Here’s a link to the SB commercial I was talking about!  It’s for Pepsi Max…  “I’m Good!”