25 or 6 to 4

I'm not sure why the old Chicago tune, "25 or 6 to 4" is running through my muddled head, but it somehow seems appropriate today. It's one of those songs that doesn't make sense until you hear the story behind it. Someone in the band asked what time it was, and another person answered, "25 or 6 to 4," literally meaning about 25 or 26 minutes until 4 o'clock. Oh, now we get it!

The past month has been a mixed bag of emotions, and most days I don't know if I'm coming or going, happy or sad, contented or discontented, doing the right thing or somewhat out of God's will. Trying to sort out what I'm feeling and why is, well, kind of like trying to figure out that song. Pretty soon the light's going to come on, and it's all going to make sense. It's the waiting that drives me nuts.

I don't know whether or not I regret recent decisions I've had to make. I see things working out for the better, and I should be happy, but instead I'm feeling miserable and alone. I know the right thing to do is seek God, read His word, pray about it, and have a support team I can talk to. Yet I find myself being less than forthright and honest, because I know how it would sound... like I don't have it all together. And I don't.

I've spent my life dedicated to servanthood. I preach it all the time. We're not here for ourselves; I believe we're here to honor God, serve Him, and love others. The rest will take care of itself. But that's the problem. I wasn't made just to love others. I was made to be loved as well. Truth be told, I feel as if I'm doing all the giving, and my "love tank" is running on empty. That feels and sounds totally selfish, and it probably is. I also feel like the one strongest desire of my heart, to be a good father and mentor is the one area where I've screwed up the most. If I can't even get that right, then how can I expect to be loved in return?

It's time to turn the station and get "25 or 6 to 4" out of my head. I need a new song. I'm just afraid the next station will be playing "American Pie." Talk about confusing.

The Preacher in the Green Shirt

Pardon me while I ramble.

This morning before church started, a dear lady commented, "Not that I'm counting or anything, but do we need to take up a collection to buy you some new shirts? That's the third Sunday in a row you've worn that same green shirt!"  REALLY??!!?? Okay, so I like green. I think from now on I'm going to wear a different green shirt every Sunday morning, kind of in the same manner that Bill Cosby wore a different ugly sweater every week on The Cosby Show. My neighbor Sandy used to wear two different color shoes to work at her restaurant. Hey, it could be a great gimmick to increase attendance and win more people to Christ. People came from miles around to hear John the Baptist preach in camel hair. Whatever it takes, ya know?

But what's really on my mind as I wrap up a very long and very rewarding day in ministry is this: Love. God is love, and He makes it very easy to love what He calls us to do for Him. Today was baptism Sunday, and what a joy it is to baptize the young and old alike. We went out to the lake on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon to baptize seven, and ended up baptizing eight. A lady who recently lost her husband of 45 years saw what was going on and came right on out into the water asking to be baptized. What a privilege to pray for and comfort her with Christ's love. There's just no greater feeling than loving on people like Jesus taught us.

The other reason that love is on my mind: My daughter. Shelby came to live with us almost 10 months ago. I first met her in my youth group when she was 11. We're not blood related, but she's been like a daughter to us for years. We opened our arms and our homes to her to give her a more stable environment. But quite honestly, it took us ten months to get it right. I had a huge learning curve, and probably wasn't the best "Dad" I could be. But this week... well, I won't go into the details. But let me urge you parents: When you honestly open up the lines of communication with your kids and let God be involved in guiding the conversation, some amazing things happen. Give your kids some credit. They're probably smarter than you realize. There's not a court order or anything "legal" that says I'm Shelby's Dad. But I have it in writing... from her. She's my daughter. So now I have two wonderful kids who both teach me daily about life in very, very different ways. They both make my heart full. I love them both unconditionally, and with all the love my heart can muster.

God is just good like that. He's an awesome God. I have a beautiful wife I adore (26 years in October and counting!), two great kids, the best church family a Pastor could ever ask for, and a dog that... well, I have a dog. :) 

Now. Where can I find a sale on green shirts?

The New Love Chapter

With my sincere apologies to the apostle Paul, I have come up with the 21st century antithesis of 1st
Corinthians 13, the great "love chapter" of the Bible. Just to clarify: God's Word has never changed, and never will. My purpose here is to present a wake-up call to us all. Love takes hard work, sacrifice and prayer, along with some serious blood, sweat and tears. It was never meant to be a cake-walk. And it was certainly never meant to be "all about me." Jesus said to love others first, not self. Read on if you dare... and if you feel a conviction in your heart, please take time to crack open a Bible afterward and read what God really has to say.

Then live it. 

The New Love Chapter

Love is selfish, love is me-first. It wants what others have, it constantly speaks only of itself, never considering the thoughts, welfare, or feelings of others. It shows no compassion for others and doesn't share a thing, but rather puts all the focus on itself. Love gets angry easily and posts all its frustrations on Facebook and Twitter. It keeps a running tally of supposed injuries to its pride and vanity. It applauds when it gets revenge, and doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good bout with self-pity. It never protects or trusts anybody, sees the glass as constantly half-empty and gives up at the first chance it gets. 

Love talks about itself and its family as a failure, because that's how it draws attention to itself. But when God wants to speak, it shuts Him out. Where He wants to give vision, love closes its eyes. When God wants to help, love says "I can do this on my own." Love thinks that it knows it all, but truth will one day present a different reality. For now, love is on a mission to prove that it alone is right, and everyone is out to get it. The compassionate correction, opinions or requests of others are dismissed in the twinkling of an eye. But one day, love will learn how wrong it has been. By then, it will be too late. Love will lose all it could have had simply by opening its cold heart to truth. 

Now only two remain: Faith and hope. And love has given up on both. 

-Tim LaVere

The Big Picture

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attack on America, the official response read into the Congressional record included a quote from scripture - "“The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone;the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” (Isaiah 9:10. NIV). Our leaders, with the best of intentions, unwittingly pronounced judgment on America. Had they studied the scripture in context (or even read one preceeding verse), they would have realized that the scripture was an ancient vow of defiance in the face of God's warning. Instead of repenting and turning to God, Israel swore they could rebuild and become stronger by their own strength. 9/11 was a wake-up call to America that brought about very little long-lasting Christian revival.

On Friday, I was encouraged to hear our President quote from the Bible in his response to the senseless school massacre in Connecticut. The Lord, he said, will heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. It's a direct quote from both Isaiah 61:1-2, and Psalms 147:3.  Readers, I encourage you strongly to read these entire chapters in context. I believe that through the words spoken by the leader of our country, God is presenting us with a strong and encouraging message.

Psalms 147 is a song of praise to God, who led Israel out of exile and back to their homeland. The words lovingly demonstrate how faithful and good our Lord is to a nation that honors and reveres His name, His commands, and His words. 

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him; who put their hope in his unfailing love. (v. 10-11)

What is God saying? He doesn't care how strong we think we are, the might of our military, how many gun laws we put in place, or how many locks we put on our doors. He wants our nation's obedience. What is the result of a nation that fears God?

He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat (v. 14).

Similarly, Isaiah 61 promises hope for a nation that follows Jehovah God!

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (v. 4)

Why does God allow violence and bloodshed? I daresay we allowed it, America. We have created a culture of hatred, violence, greed, selfishness and immorality. We have turned our collective backs on God. We have called "good" what He calls "sin." We are thumbing our noses at His word. We preach a snowy white feel good seeker-friendly message to build our mega-churches, and rob God's people of the truth they need to hear. All the while, God cries right with us in our own self-inflicted pain and suffering. 

“For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing." (v. 6)

I often shake my head at the news on television. I sigh heavily, and go back to my business. But this time, I cried. I cried for the children, for the parents, for the community of Newtown, and for America. I prayed, but hardly knew what to say except, "Lord, comfort the familes. And please, forgive our nation."

I hope and pray that President Obama's words bring comfort to America. But I also pray fervently that we all get the big picture... the entire message God would have us hear. Turn away from sin. Turn to God.  He loves us enough to give us the encouragement we need. 

Let's take the hint.

Eleven Eleven

I remember.
I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news about the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. The odd thing is, it took some time before I understood what was really unfolding.
I was working at a radio station in Gladwin, Michigan. I had been hired in as a reporter, but the station was slowly weaning that responsibility from me as they shifted their emphasis away from local news. Just before our national news break at the top of the hour, I got a phone call from one of our salespeople. She told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. My reaction was, "Oh, wow."  That's it. Just, "Oh, wow." In my mind, I was thinking of a small two passenger airplane that got off course... certainly not a jet. I thanked her, and made a quick mention of it leading up to the newscast.
We had no television at the radio station, and that first national broadcast didn't provide a lot of detail. We continued playing country music after the news break, updating weather, announcing songs as normal. Then I got the second call. Another plane had crashed into the towers. This time I remember clearly saying, "Oh... this is no accident!"
The rest of the morning, I felt hopeless. Just hopeless. We turned our programming over to the network for wall-to-wall coverage. We interviewed a local Pastor to have him pray on the air for our country. My reporter's "nose for news" began searching for any local angle. I called one of our legislators in Lansing to see what precautions, if any, were being taken at the State Capitol. His aide called later to say they were shutting down the building.
Then... a plane struck the Pentagon. Another went down in Pennsylvania. That's when I got scared. When would it stop? How far would this go? Were any of us safe? It was obvious that we were at war. Osama Bin Laden had already set off one explosive at the WTC years earlier. He was #1 on the FBI's Most Wanted List. I had no doubt he was behind this attack as well.
It wasn't until mid-afternoon when I arrived home that I was actually able to turn on a television and see what was happening. I couldn't watch, yet couldn't look away. How could this be happening in our country?
The following Sunday, I became a statistic. I joined with millions of others who hadn't set foot in a church for months or even years. I prayed. I called out to God.
Then I forgot about Him.
Yet a seed was planted in my life that week. God began to turn up the volume and draw me back to Him. Not to organized religion... but to Him. It would take another eight months, but eventually I found a new church family, re-dedicated my life to Christ, and began a new chapter that would lead to my becoming a Pastor.
On September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the attacks, our church honored and celebrated our fallen heroes, our government, and local police officers in our Sunday services. Two of our township officers were in the service, and received a standing ovation. It was my proudest moment to date as a minister.
Romans 8:28 promises that all things work for the good for those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purposes. That has certainly been true of the 911 story in my life. Today, I honor the heroes who fought and died that day, by dedicating my life fully, 100% to God.
By doing so, I'm better equipped to serve others to the best of my ability, and snatch the lost from the fire.

I Am Second

I don't know when I've been more jazzed about preaching. Beginning Labor Day Weekend, and for six consecutive sermons, I'll be sharing the message, "I Am Second." It all started when one of my board members sent me a video testimony from Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers. In it, he talked of his relationship with Jesus Christ, and how nothing is more important than putting his Savior first. Turns out "I Am Second" is an entire movement, and their web site features dozens of amazing testimonies. I picked up the "I Am Second" book and blasted right through it. Before I was even halfway through, I knew that this message needed to be shared with the church.

It's raw. It's gritty. It's life changing. This series of messages will pull no punches. It will offend, it will inspire, and it will be unlike anything I've preached before. I feel God's hand in this already as He gives vision, ideas, and illustrations. And I haven't even written a word of the first sermon.

So what's the big deal? Here it is: Jesus died for me. For me! I can't think of a more humiliating, slow, and excruciatingly  painful way to die than having spikes driven through your hands and feet, bleeding profusely and gasping for the smallest breath while on display for people to laugh and mock.  Jesus took all this after he was beaten and scourged to within an inch of his life. For me! Why? Because he loved me, even when I didn't love Him. That's the part I can't wrap my mind around. I was an enemy of Christ, living for myself, living in the world, and ignoring Him. I stayed home on Sundays. I was deep in sin. I knew for years what Christ had done for me, but lived for myself. I didn't even give Him an hour of my time on His day. The only time I prayed was when I needed something. Can you imagine? Like He hasn't done enough for me already by dying for me when I was literally his ENEMY????

How can I put myself first when Jesus did all that for me? How dare I put anything - ANYTHING above my relationship with Him? This is about more than coming to church. It's about honor.

I Am Second. And that's a good place to be. 

I Don't Miss My Addiction

It's been more than 3 weeks since I swore off Facebook. I've only been on to check the church site, and once changed my profile picture to support Chik-Fil-A Appreciation Day. Other than that, I've kept to my vow to remain Facebook free for 30 days, and then decide where to go from there.

No need to wait. I've made up my mind. In the last 23 days I have:

-Slept better
-Read two books
-Finished my work early
-Spent more time with my son
-Lost 7 pounds
-Endured less stress about trivial matters
-Felt no need to let the whole online world know I just had a pancake for breakfast

I once had a dentist tell me that if you can get used to flossing for two straight weeks, you will make it a habit. I suppose that's true for just about anything you want to accomplish. Being without Facebook for over three weeks has been an absolute joy. No doubt, the first week or so was tough, but looking back now I can hardly believe how much time I was wasting and mental energy I was expending. I was truly trapped, and that's a very hard thing to admit. 

So I'm done with Facebook. And it feels good. God has taught me that I can accomplish a lot more on my knees talking to Him than arguing with the world from a keyboard.

The world will just have to assume I'm having pancakes for breakfast. And they're probably right.