Crossroads International Church Basel: Recent Episodes
Crossroads International Church of Basel
This is my last blog for the Compass (and our website) on this Christmas Day 2024. I am resigning as a pastor of Crossroads at the end of December. My wife needs surgery and subsequent medical treatments in the Netherlands, and I need to be with her. For the next season of my life, my sweet, courageous, energetic and loving wife is my congregation.
It has been a shocking, emotional, roller-coaster ride for the two of us, for our family and also for some of you. A thing I don’t wish on anybody, but I know happens to many people at the most unexpected times. I don’t think you’re ever really prepared for it.
In the summertime of 2024, we did a preaching series on ‘Keep The Change’. One of the topics was ‘Change that happens to us’. It was a sermon series that really echoed in people’s minds. It now sure echoes in my mind.
I am a planning freak. I used to be an auditor, and I like to have my ducks in a row. My friend, Brian Newman – who preached in Crossroads last November – would come to my auditor’s office when he was senior pastor in Amsterdam and the first thing he would do is mess up the pens on my desk in my corner office. Just to make fun of me.
My pens are all over the table now. I don’t have my ducks in a row. My planning has gone haywire. Still, I hear the Lord whispering in my heart: “I’m the bottom in your existence; you can’t fall deeper than me.” I can’t imagine what it would be without a gracious Lord to walk us through all of this.
This is what Habakkuk wrote a long time ago: I heard, and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:16-18
On this Christmas Day, we look up to Jesus, Emmanuel; God with us. God with you on your Christmas Day. God with us on our Christmas Day. Either in good times or in bad times. God doesn’t limit his presence and his goodness to good days. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God, my Saviour.
It was a great privilege serving in Crossroads for almost 6 years. Leila and I loved every minute of our time in Basel. We have come to love the country, the Crossroads community, the interaction, the great movement of the Spirit. You are a great bunch, and it was surely not difficult to be your pastor!
We hope that the good Lord will grant us to come back to Basel to say proper goodbyes to you in the springtime. We can’t tell yet when. We’ll carry you in our hearts. And we desire and pray that God’s work in and through Crossroads Basel will continue with the same energy and intensity that we were able to be part of.
When you say ‘bye’ in Basel, people often say ‘Addee’. That is a simple Swiss form of the French ‘Adieu’. I give you to God. I recommend you to God. I leave you in the hands of God. With my last blog, I say ‘Adieu’, I give you to God, who is able to keep you and sustain you in the next chapter.
Granddaughter is visiting us with her daddy, our son. We have fun together when she visits. When we got back in town she said: “Aha, my horsies are back again!” She is entirely thrilled by horses and ponies and opa and oma must be put ‘in the harness’ and we have to gallop around the house.
It is time for lunch. My wife puts together the food on the table and we sit around the table with the four of us, the little one on her throne, the children’s chair. She eats like a horsy herself and we talk and laugh. “Wow, she eats a lot”, is what my son says. Yes, that happens when you take the time and attention to sit around the table and enjoy a meal together! No phones, no laptops, no quick bite in between other activities.
Connection happens a lot more when we’re taking intentional time for it. That happens with families when they sit around the table. That happens with workers in a company when they listen to each other. That happens in a church where people get and take the time to meet. That happens in small groups where people get together to read the Word, share their lives and pray together.
We live in a very scattered world together, where attention is absorbed by many screens. And consequently, it can’t go to people. Look around you in the tram, train or the bus; about 80% of the people are looking at their phones, so they’re not looking at each other or the world that goes by. They don’t see an elderly person enters the bus and needs a place to sit or an helping hand to land safely in a chair.
I’ve learned that in Switzerland, when you clink glasses together and wish each other ‘Santé’ or ‘Prost’ or ‘Cheers’, you must look the other person that you’re clinking with, in the eyes. If you don’t do that, it is considered impolite. So, remember that next time when you clink glasses and there are Swiss people in the mix!
But much rather, let’s make it a habit when we meet people, to look them in the eye. Connect. See them. Appreciate them. The people that are right in front of you are more important for the moment than the people that are WhatsApping you, pinging you, messaging you or posting on social media.
Real connection happens a lot more when we take the time to see each other, sit down, talk, exchange, swap stories and listen.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your friendliness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:4-6
Let your friendliness be evident to all. Through that friendliness, it will be easier to rejoice in the Lord and not to be anxious about anything.
In the Peter’s Chapel in Luzern, the Catholic Church has made it possible to go to confession, while you are interacting with an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Jesus. It is an avatar of Jesus that is sitting in the box next to you, listens to your questions and the avatar answers you, based on ‘intelligence’ it gathered on the internet. The ‘intelligence’ is based on a wide variety of sources.
The sources include Biblical, Christian sources, but of course, it will not neglect liberal theological sources, non-Christian sources and sources that interpret the Bible and what it says from a critical angle, as if the Bible is wrought with mistakes and half-truths. “Garbage in is garbage out” is very much applicable to this AI-Jesus.
This AI-Jesus is man-made, man-produced, and as such it has many features of what the Bible calls an ‘idol’. Instead of wood, stone, gold and silver, it is made of bits and bytes, information technology and algorithms.
One more thing that struck me: the avatar very much looks like a long-haired, scruffy Westerner. Really?
However, AI goes a step further than producing the information it acquired. It is supposed to be ‘self-learning’. That’s where it gets tricky. Not only for the AI-Jesus, but for all applications that use AI. Already for a long time, AI-specialists warn against the uncontrolled, unbridled use of AI and its self-learning qualities. Who controls AI and the ‘knowledge’ it learns? Who checks if this knowledge and its applications is something we want and wish to implement? Bits and bytes don’t have any morals, no inherent sense of right and wrong.
The real big thing about Christmas – you will have heard this last Sunday in church – is that God chose to become a human being. Not an image. Not an avatar. Not a 3-D image in the sky. No, a human being. Like you, like me. So that we have a Leader and Saviour who knows what it is like to be a human, but still reflects to us how God really is like.
In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:2+3).
If you’re looking for a quick way to connect to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I won’t recommend you go to Lucerne. There are many other reasons you want to see Lucerne: Lake Lucerne, Titlis, Rigi, Seebodenalp; but not for the AI-Jesus. The distance to connect with Jesus is about half a meter: where your knees touch the floor.
To find answers to your questions, you will need to do some tough work: pray, dig into God’s word, the Bible, listen to the Spirit guiding and leading you and listen to good teaching. Do not trust in instant answers that are generated by AI-Jesus, because remember: “garbage in is garbage out”.
I read an article about Advent Calendars on the Dutch news site NOS. It is quite the thing these days. “When Advent starts, I start every day with a laugh. I enjoy it every day. Every morning when I get up, I get a present. Not all of them in one shot, that is not how it is supposed to be done. In the little cubicle for the 24th of December–Christmas Eve–there is usually the biggest present.”
If you think this is the ‘testimony’ of a child who finds chocolate behind every little door, you’re mistaken. This is a grown-up who has an Advent Calendar from some beauty shop. The little presents are eyeliner, eye shadow, foundation, mascara, perfume, lotion, lipstick and the like.
It seems that the Advent Calendar originates from 19th-century Germany. The little doors or drawers of the calendar contained Bible verses or Christmas figurants like shepherds, angels, wise men and of course baby Jesus. It helped to catch the attention of the children to help them understand what the Christmas story is about.
This concept was commercialized quickly. Soon, chocolates or sweets were included behind the little doors and nowadays we also have Advent Calendars from pet shops, so that the dog or cat can also celebrate Advent. The dollar, franc and euro soon took over quickly and decisively.
In the article, some psychologist also puts in her two cents worth: “We have little control about the things that happen around us. An Advent Calendar offers some security. It can be comforting, such a ritual. Opening a little door every day can give you some rest.”
Wow… security, comfort and rest… from an Advent Calendar!
We have an ‘Advent Calendar’ too in our home. Look at the picture and meet our Santa. It doesn’t offer security, comfort and rest, just chocolate calories. Since my wife and I both don’t really need the calories and we don’t have our granddaughter living at our house, at the end of the Advent season, many little drawers are still chocolate-filled. I prefer to get my security, comfort and rest from another more secure source.
Here is the best Advent advice I can give you, for myself and for everybody who wants to take it to heart: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28+29).
The good thing is that His kind of rest is not only good for 24 days in the last month of the year. It is good for every day, every sleepless night in which things look dark and gloomy, each rainy and grey day, in good times and bad times.
Happy Advent folks! Hope came into our world and wants to invade it permanently!
It is the ‘in’ thing that every organisation, every vendor, every service provider must have its own client magazine. I regularly get a news magazine from my health insurance provider Assura. Didn’t ask for it, but I get it anyways. I get a news magazine from my car insurance Mobiliar. I get a news magazine from AXA, where my second pillar pension insurance is gaining weight. I used to get a news magazine from Primeo Energie and if you get your electricity from IWB, you’ll get a magazine from them.
Every month you’ll get a Dropa magazine from the drugstore chain in your mailbox. Even if you’ve got a ‘Kein Reclame’ sticker on your mailbox. Every month, I’ll get a thick envelope from the Schweizer Evangelische Alliance in my mailbox with a magazine and a bunch of other flyers.
It just goes on and on. The busier we are, the more is crammed down our mailboxes. If I would want to read them all, I have to reserve at least an hour a day to go through them. Which of course doesn’t happen.
Probably you won’t read most magazines either. I can’t help but think: “All the manpower that goes into putting them together. All the expenses to produce and send them. Why? If they wouldn’t, my premium would be less, my pension would be a bit higher, my products would be a little cheaper.”
Just because one company does it, doesn’t mean another company has to. I think these client magazines are an echo-chamber of marketing specialists. Perhaps they should think a bit better about the question: “how do I get the most important message across to people that are used to only read snippets of information; Facebook-size”
I hope we’re doing a bit better with this Compass. If so, let us know. If not, tell us how we can do better to give you the information you really need.
In the marketing bombardment of client magazines, we should reserve a special place for the Bible. Paul writes to his protégé Timothy: Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (2 Timothy 3:16+17, The Message).
I plead with you that the Bible should take a place in your life that no Assura, or whatever magazine can take in your life. Give your undivided attention to the Word of God for at least 15 minutes a day. So that we are “put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” No marketing magazine can do that for us!
Remember those phones? In a time, long, long ago, they were the ‘normal’ thing. That is how I got to learn to use a phone. You pick up the receiver, you stick your finger in the hole with the right figure, you turn the dial until you can’t go any further because of the metal placeholder, you pull out your finger, the dial goes back to the starting position and then you repeat the procedure with the other figures of the phone number.
My kids – now grown men – did not grow up with these dial phones. We were once visiting with friends that still had one. My youngest son wanted to place a phone call, and the friend said: “sure, there’s the phone, use it!”. My son walked over to the phone and stood there, glazed eyes, not knowing how to use this ancient thing.
The thing with these dial phones is that they never, ever go ‘kaput’. Probably, if you stick one from 1960 into the phone socket (if there still is a phone socket around), they’ll still work. But they have become obsolete, because we all have push buttons nowadays, either ‘real’ buttons or – more likely – digital buttons.
There are more things that still work just fine but are obsolete anyways. ‘Planned obsoleteness’ is a real thing in our consumer society. In 2011, I bought an iMac computer with a 27-inch screen. In 2018, I updated it with an SDD disk and in 2023 it still worked as a charm: fast and furious.
But Apple thought differently. They decided for me that a 2011 computer should be replaced. They stopped issuing updates for the operating system and before long I got messages, saying: “This computer is too old; you can’t update the operating system anymore.” That was the beginning of the decline into obsoleteness.
Then I started to get messages saying: “Your computer is in danger for viruses, because your operating system can’t scan for viruses anymore.” And then user software started saying to me: “you can’t use this software anymore, because your operating system is not valid anymore.” Now it was my turn to stand by my good, old, working iMac with glazed eyes, not knowing what to do.
When people brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in adultery, we read this:
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:7-11.
With Jesus, people never become obsolete. Maybe we sometimes feel that way. We lose our jobs. We get sick. We make stupid choices. We ‘lose the touch’. We get older. But there is no ‘planned obsoleteness’ in God’s economy.
God doesn’t run an Apple company. He runs His kingdom, in which people are his prime assets. And for the financials amongst us: he doesn’t depreciate them either. They keep their full value into eternity.
The reality of the fall or autumn has fully settled in. With the fall come the misty, damp days in Basel. Despite high-pressure systems over Switzerland, it stays gloomy, misty and grey over Basel and over larger parts of the country that are below 700 or 800 metres. If you’re lucky enough to live at higher elevations, then you can enjoy clear blue skies and lots of sunshine.
The Swiss even have a saying about it: ‘Unten grau, oben blau’. Grey below, blue above. The only way to get some sunshine in these fall days is to escape to the mountains.
My house in the Netherlands has sun panels. With an app on my phone, I can exactly see from moment to moment how much electricity these sun panels produce. In that country there is only ‘unten’ and no ‘oben’, so you can guess what it implies: many grey days, even more than in Basel! Very little electricity production by those sun panels. And no escape to the mountains. On a sunny day in the fall, they still produce 35 kWh of electricity, on a really foggy day it is not even 10% of that.
Hear what the Bible has to say about reflecting God’s radiance. Paul uses some complicated sentences and sub-sentences, but this is the main thought:
Now if the ministry that brought death (the law) came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? We all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:7+11+18
Solar panels can only produce when the sun shines on them. The brighter the sun, the more electricity they produce. The greyer it is, the less the production is.
If we compare ourselves to the solar panels and God is the sunshine in our lives, we need to position ourselves well to be able to receive the sun rays and produce the juice. If we don’t regularly place ourselves fully in the rays, then don’t be surprised there is little ‘production’ that comes out.
Just one other thought. Not very devotional, but quite practical. If the sun does break through on a fall day in Basel, don’t wait to enjoy it! Don’t first finish your chores. Don’t wait for the ‘right moment’. Go out and enjoy those rays. Because it will be over before you know it.
I’m writing this in the train from Arnhem to Basel. I just visited my wife and the family in the Netherlands. And, of course, my granddaughter, who is about to turn 4 years of age. She’s a bright, young little girl. I still hear her voice ringing in my ears: “Zelf doen…. I’ll do it myself.” Her quest for independence has started significantly and very determinedly.
Getting in and out of the car. Undressing. Dressing. Opening the present. Opening a bottle. Closing a bottle. Getting a bowling ball off the rollers (while grandad fears she’ll drop it on her toes). Making a sandwich. Praying. Biking. Self!
Every parent who has had teenagers in the house or is presently enjoying them, knows that the quest for ‘I’ll do it myself’ only intensifies when they turn the corner of puberty. To culminate in the moment they leave the house and spread their wings.
It is somewhat of an irony that a child we receive, starts off so helpless, so much in need of care and guidance and then, slowly but surely throughout their lives, we need to let go, bit by bit, inch by inch, year by year and help them to become independent from us. Hopefully still in a relationship, but nevertheless independent.
In the same train, I have been preparing my sermon for this upcoming Sunday. We’re starting a new series about the ‘I Am’ statements of Jesus and I’ll be preaching on ‘I Am The Vine’. One of the things that Jesus says in John 15 is: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from the Father I have made known to you.”
Even Jesus wants us to grow up from servants to friends. He wants us to understand the Father’s business and take responsibility. Zelf doen… do it myself. God doesn’t want us to stay dependent upon him like little children are. He wants us to grow up to be co-labourers, people that understand what God is doing.
So, yes parents, your predominant and God-given task is to help your children grow up into responsible, independent people who can make their own decisions and who don’t need you to weigh in on everything. It is nice and encouraging for them and for you if they want to check in with you from time to time.
For counsellors, psychologists and therapists, it should be a great joy if your ‘patients’ get it and start applying your input, your advice and their self-reflection to their issues and come to the point where they don’t need your help any longer. Cut them loose, let them go, you’ve done what you have been trained to do. Don’t keep them on the hook for more treatment fees!
Same for pastors and pastoral workers; our goal is not to make people dependent on us. It is our goal to make our congregants strong and ‘self-reliant’ for their spiritual nurture and health. If a pastor goes, your spiritual life should remain steady and focused, because you have learned about the source where that pastor got it from!
‘Do it myself’ is a good way to go, if you have paid enough attention how to do it yourself the right way.
I hope to see you Sunday in church, to hear more about Jesus being the true Vine and we as the branches getting our input from Jesus.
I come from the land of tulips, wooden shoes and windmills. Nowadays, the wooden shoes are almost gone as they are too uncomfortable. And most windmills are museums or kept up by some Stiftung to retain their historic value.
Tulips are still very much a thing though. Most tulips that will be flooding the supermarkets in the next months will have been produced in the Netherlands. With big trucks, they are sold to Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi and distributed all over Switzerland. For the Dutch wholesalers, Switzerland is an attractive market; good prices and a great payment morale.
Probably, the picture you get in your mind when I say ‘tulips’ is the wrong one when we are talking about a bunch of tulips you can buy in the supermarket. They have never seen any soil or dirt in their lifetime. In huge tulip brooding greenhouses, the tulip bulbs or ‘Schwiebeln’ are put on big tables, with their bottoms in fertilized water. The bulb is activated by the temperature and the water, starts growing roots and produces a tulip at the top. When it is about to open up, it is cut off and put into a bunch with other tulips.
But what about the tulip fields then that are widely advertised and shown as a tourist magnet for you to come to the Lowlands in April or May? These fields are not to produce tulip flowers. They are to produce tulip bulbs. As soon as the tulips reach full bloom, the flowers are cut off and thrown away. Over the next months, the one tulip bulb with the decapitated stem starts multiplying in the ground and grows four, five, six new bulbs onto the old ‘mother’ bulb. When the process is done, the farmer digs up the bulbs, throws out the mother bulb and prepares the new bulbs to ship all over the world for good money.
Production might happen totally differently than you might have imagined!
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience (Colossians 1:9-11).
Growth in your life – whether spiritual, mental, emotional – might also happen totally different that you have imagined. Like growing through difficulties. Spiritually growing through your experiences in the workplace. Mentally growing through your input at church. Emotionally growing through what your teenagers tell you.
If we think that the only way that God teaches us is through Bible study and listening to sermons – how good and worthwhile these are – think again! I’ve heard God speak through my agnostic brother-in-law. God has taught me things in the workplace about following Jesus, that I’ve never heard anywhere else.
The ‘production’ of godliness in our lives can take many shapes and forms. What it takes from our side is a willingness to grow and flourish and see God at work in many different places and speak to us through many different channels.
When I walk to the church on weekdays, I inevitably come across kids going to school. If it is the right time, I come across many, many kids walking to school and they all have a backpack on their backs (Rucksack) and the fluorescent sash around them, front and back, so that they are visible in the dark winter months.
Have you seen the size of the backpacks that some of them are wearing? With some effort, they could fit in it themselves and be on someone else’s back. Then I wonder: what is in the backpacks that are so big? Are they carrying a library to school? Clean clothes? What?
I used to carry a briefcase to work in my former lives. Back then I had a very big, fat briefcase so that I could fit paper dossiers in it and review them at home. Later, the big fat briefcase gave way to a laptop case, but that online access made even bigger dossiers possible. Not just one or two of them, but all dossiers. A smaller briefcase is not the same as smaller work.
When I came to Switzerland, I decided that I would be a Swiss man and purchase a backpack. One blends in well when there’s a backpack to put your things in. If you doubt that’s true, just look around on the street, in the tram, in the bus: Swiss men are decked out with backpacks. They start out with backpacks as young kids, they have one when they’re going to university and they still use one when they are getting along in age.
I still wonder what everyone has in them. Especially when the backpacks are big. The contents of my backpack are humble. Just some necessary things and sometimes I use it as a small shopping bag when I have to pick something up.
All people carry backpacks around in the figurative sense. Let’s call them ‘life-backpacks’. Some are big, some are small. There are memories in them. Good ones and bad ones. Especially the bad ones take up a lot of space. Among the bad ones, there are a few notorious ones that fill up too much space: rejection, abuse, or disappointment. They weigh heavily and slow us down when we have to schlep them around.
Every so often, I take my real backpack and empty it completely. I shake it out; if necessary, I take a cloth and wipe it out and then I take all the items that came out of it and one by one, I put them back, or I decide I don’t need them any longer, or they’re not worth carrying them around.
When it comes to our life-backpacks that we are schlepping around, hear Jesus’s words: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:27+28).
When our life-backpacks are full of heavy things, we get weary quicker, and it often feels like we are carrying around quite a burden. Go to Jesus, unpack that backpack with him, clean it out, and then decide which things need to go back and which things don’t need to go back. Definitely leave behind the rejection, abuse, disappointment and bad memories. Leave them with Him. Find rest for your soul. The Lord Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. If you can leave your garbage with anyone, leave it with Him!
So, next time you see the little peats going to school with big backpacks, I hope this will come to mind again. No need to schlep a lot of debilitating garbage with you. The yoke of Jesus is light.
Often, you hear politicians make claims that they have created an x-amount of jobs when they were in power. Or that when they are elected, they will create so many jobs. This happens in all countries. With politicians from the whole political spectrum. No one exempt.
These are unfounded claims. How can a president, a prime-minister, a premier, a party, or a minister prove that there is a cause-and-effect connection between the number of new jobs and his government?
The only jobs that can be directly attributed to a government are when new government jobs are formed. But often, that is not the intention of a government at all. Usually, they want less government workers and, in that way, spend less money on government.
It is businesses that create jobs. Businesses are willing to create jobs, when there are good business opportunities, and the business environment is stable enough for the companies to have the trust it will pay off. Government meddling with new rules and regulations during the process will only scare businesses away from creating new jobs. Governments might often be the reason why no new jobs are created, or less than what could have been. Businesses like stability and predictability.
Politicians therefore shouldn’t make that claim at all. At the most, they can make sure that the business environment is stable, and they shouldn’t come up with too many changes and no sudden hiccups.
What goes for politicians also goes for people in the workplace. Don’t make claims about your accomplishments that are farfetched. Perhaps you played a role in what has been achieved. Maybe even an important role. But probably a few people or perhaps even a lot of people have played their part. Success has many fathers, but failures are always orphaned.
What goes for politicians and people in the workplace, also applies to pastors and church staff and volunteers. No pastor can say: “Because of my excellent spiritual leadership, this church has grown by so many people.” Or, “Finally we’ve gone deeper then ever before.” At the best, the pastor has played a facilitating and leading role. But mostly it is because many people are facilitated to play their role.
Romans 12:3-5 speaks to this: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Sober judgment for politicians, for people in the workplace, for pastors, and for church staff and church volunteers. We all play our role. We all celebrate the success. And a really great leader is willing to be the father of the failure.
In my former job lives, there were always computer guys around. A system manager who is responsible for the IT system, the servers, the backups, troubleshooting for the users, keeping an eye on security and admonishing everybody that we shouldn’t click on links that might be dangerous.
There is always a bit of a love/hate relationship between a system manager and the users. You can’t go with them, but you also can’t go without them.
You can’t go with them, because they are strict in what you’re allowed to do and what you’re not allowed to do. At the most stressful moments, they must shut down the system, because it | “needs a reboot, in order not to crash”.
You can’t go without them, because they fix your problems with your laptop, the printer, the access to your files and when things just don’t work.
Here’s the most hated IT advice of IT specialists: “did you try to turn it off and on?” You’ve got a zillion programs open with all the files you’re working on, and this irritating ‘specialist’ says you have to close all the files, close the programs, shut down the computer, turn it on again, open all the programs and open all the files. That takes at least 15 minutes, which you don’t really want to spend on it. You just want the IT person to fix it… now!
But, strangely enough, the most hated IT advice often works wonders. Just as if somewhere in the computer or the system, a bit or byte was laying crooked and by turning it off and on, it straightens itself out. Basically, the system manager only kicks into action, once you’ve tried this tested ‘remedy’.
Probably, we should apply this hated, but tested IT advice to more areas of our lives. Like in our relationship with the Lord, our devotion times, our giving to ministry. Or when we start a new day that turns out to be a difficult and cumbersome day. Or with relationships that run into difficulties after which unexpected and unmeant harsh words are spoken. Or with a colleague that we start out with on the wrong foot.
“Turn it off and on.” A pause, a reset, a moment of contemplation and downtime, a new start, doing it right a second time. Or a third time.
The Lord specialises in new moments. I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:19-24
Things don’t work out as you wanted them to work out? Had a bad start? Something is laying crooked somewhere? We are not consumed. There is new compassion EVERY morning. Not just once.
It is the time of the year again; the health care premiums for next year are made known. They only know one direction and that is up!
The people living in Basel-Stadt will only see an increase of 1,5% of their Krankenkasseprämien. Perhaps the only time that Basel-Stadters come away cheap! People living in Baselland have to live with 5,3% increase and if you’re living in Solothurn, you’ll have to reckon with 5,8% more.
The news is full of interviews, opinions and explanations why the premiums are going up: we’re getting older on average, new treatments, new medicines, life expectancy goes up but with increased medical care needs. In the next months, the health insurance company carrousel is going to turn its annual cycle. Is it cheaper with another company? Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? The telemarketers are lining up to shower you with their unwanted and unsolicited phone calls!
A portion of the increased premiums can be ‘blamed’ on people in our church community! New, expensive medicines, new medical treatments… sounds like the results of some of your jobs! I have watched first-hand with my own parents in their last days, how some of the medical treatments are not wanted by the patients, but almost forced on them by medical professionals. As things become medically possible, it sometimes seems like it is anathema to not accept the treatments. To force it unto people that qualify, regardless of their age, health and desires. I know there are lots of discussion and moral questions around treatments, and I don’t want to make light of it.
When we’re talking about health care, costs and treatments, we’re looking at our own finiteness on this side of reality. What can medical treatments do for us and what can they not do? There are other things that confront us with our limited years on earth: drawing up a will, talking about succession, discussing how we want to live after our retirement, how we want to be buried or cremated. Yes, perhaps a bit morbid, but very real.
Listen how the apostle Paul reflects on the end of his life that is coming mighty close to him: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
It helps a whole lot in life if you have an eternal perspective like Paul has. There are more and greater things to come and we live our present lives in that perspective.
Don’t forget that when you’re requesting new offers for another health insurance. Yes, health is very important and good to take very good care of. But your spiritual health and care are equally important. How about finding a better policy for that? Better and fuller coverage. Less deductible. Direct contact with the Provider!
In the news about the Die Post (the state-owned mail company in Switzerland): “Die Post verändert sich. Filialen schliessen. Dienste warden digital. Es stösst auch auf Widerstand” (The Post is changing. Settlements are closing. Services go digital. There is resistance.). This is not just something Swiss, it is happening in all countries.
Some weeks ago, I was talking to someone in the Netherlands who was complaining about how much she has to pay for a letter to be delivered. Nowadays, you don’t even get the guarantee that the letter will be delivered the next day. It might even be 3 or 4 days later!
I said to her: “It’s your fault.” She looked at me with incredulous eyes, like “Why me?” I said: “It is because you don’t send enough letters and that’s why they have to reduce their services, up the prices and try to make it work within those limited parameters.
I am old enough to remember the times we did not have email, WhatsApp, Facetime, Messenger, Facebook and what-not. When you wanted to inform family, customers, potential customers, send invoices, insurance papers, damage claims, there was only one sure way: you sent it by mail. Die Post was your biggest and reliable friend and Postman Pat was not only delivering envelopes, but he also contributed to the social cohesion of your village or neighbourhood.
But how many times do we send a physical letter nowadays? Very few times. Invoices come into our inboxes, we speak to family far away through some video service and we submit our stuff through secure websites. And Die Post gets the short end of the stick and we complain about the prices and the quality of their services.
Anybody with some economic sense that looks at these developments can have seen this coming from miles and years away. But we still resist when it happens. Why is that? Why can’t we accept the inevitable?
Galatians 6:8 tells us: “A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
God gives us the warning – beforehand – that our behaviour, our ‘sowing’ has consequences. But then when we get the predicted ‘short end of the stick’, we complain. We can see it coming from miles and years away. But we still complain when it does come.
Better then that we learn to ‘sow to please the Spirit’. We can see the results coming from miles away: “from the Spirit we will reap eternal life”.
Let’s be keen to sow in the right place today. And tomorrow. And all the days after that. I can see those results coming from a mile away as well!
The laws of entropy/thermodynamics states that ‘as one goes forward in time, the degree of disorder of any isolated or closed system will always increase, or at least stay the same.’ More popularly expressed: left to itself, any closed system will deteriorate to a lower level of organization.
This is true for thermodynamics and energy, but we see this in any kind of life. If you doubt this reality, just look at how a kids’ room looks after it is cleaned up and look at the same room two days later when mom or dad didn’t pay attention!
The laws of entropy are the biggest argument against spontaneous evolution of life. The reality we see around us is that things spiral down. They never spiral up.
If you have to manage in your vocational life, you know what I’m talking about. One moment everything is lined up, your team is all arranged, all noses are pointing the same direction, everybody knows what to do. You turn around and don’t pay attention for some weeks and you’ll find that you need to put in a fresh dose of energy to get back to the same organizational readiness of your team.
This also applies to our spiritual lives. Left to itself, it will deteriorate into a lower level of energy. Chaos increases, organization decreases. You can’t pump up your spiritual life on a Sunday or whatever day that you get some spiritual input and then trust it to remain at the same pumped-up level for the rest of the week. One Jesus-experience in the past is not enough to get you through life and into heaven in a glorious state.
As one pastor said it so fittingly: we leak. We leak energy. We leak spiritual air. We’re like an air mattress that has a tiny little hole in it. It feels like it is pumped up and sturdy to sleep on, but long before the night is over, you’re on empty and you feel the hard floor underneath.
The writer of Hebrews admonishes his readers: Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed (vs 12+13).
Your spiritual fullness needs topping up regularly. You need to inject new energy into your system on an ongoing basis. Our spiritual lives are not a closed system. It needs input, it needs topping up. Also, this Wednesday morning.
On the last day of August of this year, a world record has been put in the Guiness book of Records by 1’006 Swiss Alpenhorn players on the Klewenalp in Nidwalden. If you missed it, you can find a news item here from the Swiss new service SRF.
It is an impressive accomplishment. The Alpenhorn is a rare instrument and to get so many of them together on the mountain meadow overlooking Lake Lucern and having them play a melody of 5 minutes long is an impressive feat.
This is Swiss heritage at its best and if you have any feeling for pride and honor, you’ll have some chills running down your spine and perhaps a tear in your eye. In general, the Swiss are doing a great job at celebrating heritage. If it is not their church bells, it is their Schwingfests, and if it is not their Alpabzug, it is their Fassnach. And right they are.
When I grew up, we read a piece from the Bible at the end of our family dinner meal. Personal faith was not really a thing, but this piece of heritage was part of my Reformed tradition. It is a good piece of heritage, and I wish we had done the same when my boys were growing up.
Probably you can think of good exercises of heritage when you were growing up. Telling each other what you are thankful for, before you ate the Thanksgiving Dinner. Taking a time of prayer before you kicked off the New Year. Writing poems or rhymes with your Christmas presents, so that opening them was not just an act of ripping off the paper, but a celebration of relationships. Serving at a local soup kitchen regularly as a family, so that you and your kids know that it is not all peaches and cream for all people.
I want to encourage you to think about good heritage, good habits that you need to keep alive or revive. They can be milestones that you will look back on later in life. At those milestones, significant things happen.
This is what Deuteronomy 11:18 tells us: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
It is not enough to just recite the words of the law for the Jews. They have to wear them as symbols on their hands and bind them to their foreheads. Of course this indicates it should determine their deeds and their thinking, but it sure helps if you are reminded of these things by actually wearing them.
The Lord’s Supper is also an important piece of heritage, which the Lord Jesus commanded us to keep on doing: For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes 1 Corinthians 11:26.
Take your example from the Swiss people today and think about which heritage you should keep on celebrating or reinstitute.
Seismic Swift
Last week, Taylor Swift performed in the Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich for 50’000 people. According to SRF, the Swiss Seismological Service, reported that eight seismometers (machines that detect tremors in the earth) detected tremors as far away as six kilometers from the stadium.
Apparently, Taylor and her Swifties had some ‘impact’ and that was measurable. Probably, Taylor’s tour also has some impact on her wallet, because all her performances are sold out and her dedicated fans are over the moon to finally see her performing again and pay big money for their tickets.
‘Impact’ is a big thing for many businesses and organizations. Pharma companies are hoping for a big, positive impact with the new medicines they introduce. Big financial gains often come in the wake of big impact.
In the NGO development world in which I have worked for seven years before I came to Basel, impact is a very important thing. If you can concretely show to your donors (especially to institutional donors like governments, USAid, European Union) what kind of positive impact your interventions have on individuals and communities, they are ready to give you more money for additional development programs.
What impact do we as people of faith have on the world around us? And I don’t mean the impact on seismometers like Taylor Swift’s concert had. What positive impact do we have on how our families function? What positive impact happens when we are part of a team in the company we work for? What good impact do we have on the neighborhood we live in? What impact do we have through the conversations we have with others?
‘Impact’ speaks for itself in the NGO development world and brings the next grants in. The same effect happens when our impact is that of integrity, fun, honesty and kindness. It speaks for itself.
You are the salt of the earth, Matthew 5:13.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone, Colossians 4:6
Our faith spices things up. It keeps decay away. It brings out the flavors. It has impact.
We can do better than Taylor and her Zürich concert.
It is games galore this summer! The European football championship will get to its climax this Sunday with the final. Various countries that are represented in our church community can still be crowned winners of this soccer tournament! On the same day, the Wimbledon tennis tournament will culminate in the men’s final. The classic cycling competition Tour de France is racing through France and will climax on Sunday a week later.
And if that is not enough, on July 26th, the Olympics start in Paris. It is still unsure whether the swimmers will be able to swim their race in the dirty river Seine or not; but race they will!
I’m enjoying all that adrenaline and sportsmanship. I love the emotion and the engaged crowds who are watching, cheering and screaming. But sometimes I also think of the saying ‘Bread and Circuses’ to pacify the people. There is much going on in our world, but it seems that 22 men kicking a piece of inflated leather around a grass field seem more important than solving serious issues.
Here is a thought from the Bible: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:23-25
We need to focus on running the right race, with the right attitude and appropriate effort. It is not for a shining cup or a big bonus we are training and putting in effort. It is for a glorious inheritance that is waiting for us. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9
Let’s get that prize!
School’s out for summer! Six or more weeks of bliss, freedom, rest, sun and warmth. At least, that’s what we hope for. With the versatile spring weather we had, we don’t know if we will have some stable summer weather this year.
Many of us will be going away for a few weeks. Probably you are looking forward to it. I hope it will be all that you desire it to be. But there is no guarantee. No matter how good the weather will turn out, how wonderful the location will be, the fun activities that are on the menu… You take yourself and the ones that come along with you.
It seems that at the end of August, there is always a spike in divorces and relationship break-ups. That is attributed to a few things: a) the summer holidays have been a disappointment; b) partners come to the conclusion they don’t have anything to say to each other anymore, and c) being together as a family can be very stressful if the rest of the year consists of individual persons living their own lives in a setting in which not much interaction is required.
Here are a few tips to make your summer holidays a success:
- Don’t hype it too much, lower expectations.
- Your relationships during the summer holidays will be as good as they are before the summer holidays. Invest in them throughout the year, not only during 2 or 3 weeks in July and August.
- Don’t overload. Manage the stress levels of yourself and your family.
- Use some of your extra free time during your summer holidays to connect with God, by yourself and with your family. It will take your eyes away from yourself and what you want, and focus them on what God wants.
Here is a Bible portion to ponder when we think about getting ‘real rest’. In The Message we read this: The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey, we’ll surely rest with God. So, let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11
I wish you a splendid summer holidays, whether you will be away or at home. And when you are home, we hope we will see you in the services. During July Sundays only at 10:00 in the morning!
The people of Israel have been wandering aimlessly through the Sinai dessert for many years. It was their own doing. They had disobeyed God and turned to idols, while Moses was on mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. The passage through the Red Sea at the beginning of their journey had been blissfully spectacular. But now, God had taken Moses away from the Israelites and a new leader – Joshua – was finally leading the people into the promised land.
Can you hear them grumbling? “Well, I wonder how this will go. Moses was a grand leader; wonder how this Joshua will turn out. Probably not as good as Moses and he definitely misses the seniority that he needs to lead us.”
They get to the river Jordan. It is flood time and the river is deep and wide, not a trickling creek. Then we read this in Joshua 3:15-17: Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, while the water flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Have you ever seen water ‘piled up’? I sure never did! This is not something that Joshua has organized. It is not a gimmick. This goes beyond any human capabilities. It is as if God is saying: you might have a different leader, but I’m still the same God. What I did at the Red Sea, I can do again, and here it is.
Pastor David is gone. I will be your interim pastor for the next while. But it’s still the same God, who can do the same things again to save and guide us. Will you pray with me that we’ll see God’s greatness at work in the months to come?!
This is my last blog. For the last fourteen years it has been my privilege to send you a weekly devotional. I didn’t know that it would be a part of my weekly routine. When I first arrived, it was suggested that I write a little thought for the Compass and the blog. So, I did and then just kept doing it each week. It’s been meaningful for me to share my thoughts and I hope it has provided some encouragement and inspiration for your spiritual life. Although I think most people read for the cartoons!
In that first Compass article I talked about the difficulty of settling into a new city. We were having trouble finding an apartment. The kids were starting school. We needed to get a vehicle. Navigating the paperwork and registration process seemed overwhelming. Language was an issue. Plus we were getting to know a new congregation.
I shared the verse from Jeremiah 32:17. In the midst of great distress in Jerusalem, Jeremiah was trying to see how the promises of God could be fulfilled. In the face of so many questions he declares, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” What a comfort and strength that verse is. How important it is to keep reminding ourselves that in any situation, nothing is too hard for God.
As Rhonda and I take the next step in our journey, we know God goes before us. The same is true for the congregation at Crossroads. We want to thank you for your kindness and support to us over the years as we have served in the pastoral role. It seems to have gone by so quickly. We have loved living in Basel and Crossroads has become our home and family in many ways.
Thank you for the great send off you gave us this past weekend. Your thoughtfulness, prayers and gifts have all been appreciated and are so meaningful. As we leave our time in Basel, we leave a part of ourselves here. It has been an amazing part of our story. And we are so grateful to have been a part of your story as well.
Saying ‘goodbye’ can be tough. I’ve been thinking about some Bible stories where people had to say goodbye to one another. Moses led the children of Israel for forty years when it came time for a transition. David and Jonathan were close friends, but the situation was complicated by Jonathan’s father, King Saul. Continuing their friendship just wasn’t possible. In Acts 20 we read about Paul and the elders from Ephesus. He had spent three years teaching and working among them before going to Greece. He stopped in on his way back to Jerusalem and he knew it would be his last time with them. It was an emotional moment for them all.
In our international community there are always a lot of people moving in and moving out. It’s not unusual to make good friends and then have to say goodbye after a couple of years. Relationships can grow close when we are away from family and our home community. After a while it is easy to want to protect yourself from losing good friends and so you just stop interacting as much, or perhaps caring as much.
Moving on or away is part of life. Like anything else, it is important we acknowledge the impact it can have on us. It’s good to know there are some things we can do that are helpful.
- It’s okay to show emotion. Of course, it’s emotional. We don’t just reserve our tears for people who have died. When day-to-day relationships come to an end it represents a real sense of loss. Tears can be cleansing and helpful when words fail us. Luke says the meeting with the elders from Ephesus was emotional, “They wept as they embraced.” (Acts 20:37) It important to acknowledge the loss when we say goodbye.
- It’s important to express appreciation for one another. It can be awkward to say goodbye, but it is also a time to give thanks to those individuals who have meant something in our lives. Elegant and elaborate speeches aren’t needed, but words of appreciation are lasting. David and Jonathan spent much time together and when they finally had to part, each made sure the other knew how much the friendship was valued. (2 Samuel 20)
- Notice in scripture that there is a power in blessing one another. It is asking God to be active and present in the lives of people we shared time with. Moses had a blessing for each of the 12 tribes and then said:
Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper (Deut. 33:29)
When we part with a blessing, we invite God to be with our friends and to watch over them. Saying ‘goodbye’ isn’t easy. However, as Christians we know the parting is temporary and we look forward to enjoying eternity together. Meanwhile we count our blessings for having known one another.
After 40 years of traveling around in the desert it was time for a change in leadership. Moses would stay behind while Joshua took the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Most of the people had never known another leader and there was no doubt some anxiety and confusion. They knew that there would be challenges ahead. As Moses prepared to hand over the role to his successor he said to the people, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them (other nations), for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
During a leadership transition there are legitimate concerns and fears. The key concept in Scripture through times of change is ‘faithfulness’ – God’s complete faithfulness.
Leaders come and go. Leaders have good and bad points. Leaders are human and subject to the laws of nature. But God doesn’t have those kinds of restrictions or weaknesses. He sees the beginning from the end. He knows how things will work out. He is always at work on behalf of his people.
During this time of pastoral transition, I’m praying that you’ll have confidence and trust in God to know that he is guiding you (the congregation) through these times. Be strong and courageous. Knowing that God is faithful to his church, sets our hearts at ease. There’s a new chapter ahead and he will be leading all of us into that adventure.
Rhonda and I are preparing for a transition in our life. After 14 years in one city and church we are moving back to Canada. There is an endless list of things to prepare and get ready for. That’s practical work that we can see and do something about. However, there is also the emotional and spiritual work of going through a transition or change. For us, it’s some uncertainty about what lies ahead and what life will be like after our years in Basel.
In our case, we’ve had some time to think about and prepare for this move. That’s helpful. But not all transitions come in a timely way. Change can happen quickly and unexpectedly, and the future is suddenly a little more scary.
Maybe you are in a season of change as well. It might be that you are between jobs. It could be the health of a loved one, a move between homes, or a change in your stage of life. It just seems like this is a season of waiting. You aren’t sure what is to come and you might not know what to do with yourself in the meantime.
Max Lucado in one of his books says here’s what you need to know when you are in God’s waiting room: “while you wait, God works. God never twiddles his thumbs. He never stops. He takes no vacations. “Be still and know that I am God” reads the sign on God’s waiting room wall.”
In times like these, we go back to our basic understanding of faith. God is good and he cares about what happens to us. We can trust in him because of who he is. When our anxious spirits get the better of us, we meditate on that verse: “Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still.
The waiting room is a difficult place to be. We do not sit there alone. And we will not be here forever because ‘this too shall pass.’ God is at work.
The Devil Doesn’t Rest (But You Should)
—
One Sunday the pastor preached a sermon about the importance of keeping a Sabbath Rest. He mentioned that because Sunday was a busy day for him, he took Mondays off. After the service an older lady confronted him. “I can’t believe the pastor takes a day off. You know, the devil never takes a day off,” she said. The pastor replied, “I know he doesn’t. That’s why I don’t work for him anymore.”
When the children of Israel left Egypt God gave them a gift. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work … Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” (Deuteronomy 5:13-15)
God gave them the gift of rest. When they were slaves in Egypt they could not rest, the work was never done. Slave drivers made sure they never had a break. Modern slave drivers come in many shapes and sizes but continue to ensure that we don’t get the rest we need.
In his Kingdom, God gives rest and invites us to trust him with our work and activities, even when everything isn’t finished. Finding rest in a busy modern world is challenging. Despite knowing that we need proper refreshing many people don’t have a good weekly rhythm to keep them healthy.
Time taken to renew ourselves can include some of the following:
- Rest. Not feeling like you must be productive but can simply be present to God and those around you.
- Reflection. Taking a moment to look back at the week. Where was God present and what have you learned? Looking ahead, how can you invite God to be with you in the coming week?
- Relationship. The importance of building relationships with family and friends can’t be overstated. Deep bonds are forged in quantity time and not quality time.
- Recreation. Doing something for fun or enjoyment. Getting out in nature, playing a sport or taking a walk.
Like the children of Israel, we too have been invited to enjoy God’s rest. He created us and he knows what we need. Accepting his invitation is a sign of wisdom.
Some people never really grow up. It’s like the bumper sticker says – “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever.”
Dealing with immature people is never fun. Just because someone has been a Christian for five, ten or twenty years doesn’t mean they are a mature believer. It’s amazing to me that people can hang around the church and other believers but never really grow in their own faith.
The writer of Hebrews offers three ways to help spot the immature believer.
First, they have a hearing problem. “About this we have much to say and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:11) It’s not just toddlers and teenagers who have this condition, it’s a sign of immaturity when people refuse to listen or understand what someone is trying to teach them.
The second sign that people are still immature is that they can’t help instruct others; “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.” (Hebrews 5:12) As believers we should be able to help lead someone else to Christ, we should be able to encourage others with Scripture, we ought to be quick to model prayer and godly living. But the immature believer forever needs to be reminded of the basics.
Finally, the immature believer lacks discernment. “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) Those who aren’t growing are not open to the Spirit’s leading and teaching. They aren’t worried about what is right and wrong and how to tell the difference. So they get focused on things which are not healthy for them.
What’s the solution? The writer of Hebrews wants them to “go on to maturity” and understand the deeper things of Christ. The writer encourages them to get nourishing food from Scripture, to get sufficient exercise by applying their faith to daily living and to develop a keen ability to judge right from wrong.
The bumper sticker may be right – some people will remain immature forever. But for believers in Jesus arrested development and lifelong immaturity isn’t an option. It’s time to grow up.
The Bible never tells us his name. We don’t know much about him or his family. We just know that he offered what he had and Jesus was able to use it.
All of the gospels record Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5’000. But only John tells us in John 6:8-9 that the food came from a young boy. Jesus had been teaching all day and the people had been listening but suddenly they realized the hour was late and no one had brought food. Jesus had compassion and told his disciples to feed the people. Where were they supposed to get food? Andrew stepped forward with a few small pieces of bread and fish from a boy. But even Andrew didn’t see how such a small amount could satisfy anyone. “What are they for so many?”
Jesus commanded everyone to sit down, he prayed over the small meal and they began to distribute it. And everyone was fed. The little boy’s lunch was all that Jesus needed to do his work.
There are a number of theological points in this story. The miracle of feeding that multitude was a sign that Jesus was the Messiah. Yet the passage speaks to me in a more personal way – Jesus can use what I have to offer him, no matter how small my offering is.
When I was younger and bolder, I felt that I had a lot to offer God. I was well educated, had a variety of skills and was full of enthusiasm and vision. God was blessed to have me on his side. Or so I thought. I confess that as I get older, I’m not so sure that I have that much to offer. What I thought would be needed and helpful to God hasn’t been so useful. What I thought would be impressive has become rather shallow. I am coming to realize that God does his best work through the small and weak. Jesus takes our bread crumbs and pieces of fish and uses it for his glory. In our weaknesses he shows himself strong. With food for a small child he feeds a crowd. It’s his work and not mine.
My abilities and talents are not nearly as important as my availability and willingness to let him work through me as he sees fit. I sometimes feel embarrassed when I come to him and say, “This is all I have today, some bread and a little fish.” But those are the days when he shows himself strongest and most able. Those are the days when I get out of the way and let him work. John the Baptist said it best when he said, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Offer him what you have and let him do the rest.
Snake Salvation was a reality TV show about “snake handling pastors” in Kentucky. They believe in a bible passage from Mark 16 that suggests a poisonous snakebite will not harm them if they are anointed by God’s power. Sadly, the series was cancelled when the main character died from a venomous snake bite. Does the Bible really say you should go around picking up dangerous reptiles?
People often say things like, “I just believe what the Bible says, and I do what it tells me to do.” But in practice the Bible is open to a lot of interpretation and we tend to pick and choose what we like. Did Jesus really mean for us to cut off our hands if they cause us to sin? (Matthew 5:30) Should we feel guilty about wearing clothing with two different kinds of fabric? (Deuteronomy 22:11) Why don’t all women wear head coverings in church? (1 Corinthians 11)
None of us comes to the Bible with a blank slate; we all bring our own interpretation to bear. And our interpretation can be faulty. There are many parts of the Bible that are clear and easy to understand. As we mature in our faith, we must wrestle with some of the more difficult passages and think about how we interpret Scripture.
But, honestly, the most difficult parts of the Bible for me are the most straight forward and easy to understand. These are the passages that I know I should practice but somehow I fight with. Verses like:
- “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44)
- “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14)
- “Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)
- “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (James 1:2)
There are difficult and challenging questions about reading the Bible. Common sense though could really help those snake handlers. But like Mark Twain said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” Yes, it’s the parts that are all too clear that bother me as well. I still have a lot of work to do.
BuzzFeed, an internet site, offers twenty-five shortcuts you can learn from lazy people. The list includes brushing your teeth in the shower and sleeping in the same shirt you wore all day. Why do more work if you don’t have to? I’m not sure the advice is worth the time reading it. Sure, some shortcuts can be helpful but sometimes this leads us to conclusions that aren’t accurate.
We look for easy ways to put people into categories. We sort by skin colour, gender, nationality, educational status, income and disabilities. The shortcut, sorting people into categories, is useful because we think it saves us time and energy. Once we put someone in a category, we think we know something about them (since they are like this…then they must do this or believe that.) Based on our assumptions, we make a judgment about that person.
When Samuel was sent to anoint a new king over Israel, he saw Jesse’s oldest son. “This guy looks like a king,” Samuel said to himself. “He must be God’s anointed.” He was quickly corrected as God spoke to him and said, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)
It’s a disservice to others when we prejudge based on our categories. God has a totally different way of looking at people and we can’t always see what he sees. That means we have to take the time to get to know someone before knowing what they are like. Most people don’t fit neatly into categories anyway. We are complex individuals who wrestle with the many issues of life.
So don’t be lazy. Watch out for how you size people up this week. The Lord is concerned about what’s happening in their heart and in yours.
Last week the price of gold hit an all-time high of $2,431.46 (US) per ounce. Economists are trying to understand what is driving the market. Economic uncertainty is no doubt a part of it. It reminded me of a news article from a few years back.
John Waddell’s hobby was to go looking for gold in the abandoned mines that dotted his property in central Arizona. Occasionally he got lucky and found the odd gold nugget. One day, while out searching, he fell down one of the shafts. He was using climbing equipment to explore the shaft when a carabiner clip broke. He fell about fifty feet to the bottom, breaking both legs. During the three days he spent in the abandoned shaft, he fought off rattlesnakes and hallucinations.
Thankfully, some friends knew he was missing and went looking for him. They knew the area that John liked to search and were finally able to locate the mine. It took a rescue crew about five hours to get him out. He was badly injured but glad to be alive.
It’s amazing what people will risk their life for. Some people search for gold or other forms of wealth. On the internet, it seems like most people are looking for fame. A researcher asked people, “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” People responded with answers like happiness, peace, love, passion, joy, security, and fulfilment.
Everyone is looking for something. But the writer of Proverbs counselled, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” (Proverbs 16:16) Jesus told his followers to, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
Our desires are not necessarily wrong, but we are reminded that seeking God’s wisdom should always be at the top of the list. When we truly find his understanding, we find everything else we need.
Two elderly men were venting their frustrations about the woes of modern technology. “I just can’t ever seem to remember my darn passwords,” grumbled one of them. The other one smiled. “Oh really? I can never forget mine!” “How do you manage it?” asked the first guy curiously. “Well, I simply set all my passwords to ‘Incorrect’ so that whenever I’m told that my password is incorrect, I’ll remember it!”
It’s always been easy to make fun of ‘old people’ and the aging process. These days I find my definition of ‘old’ is shifting a lot. I’m beginning to realize my own mortality. My body has started letting me know that things are changing. As we age, we are forced to remember that our bodies will someday decay and waste away. Our body is a vessel that carries us through this lifetime.
As believers, we aren’t to be morbid about this. God created us for eternity. Writing on this very topic, the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
The aging process is inevitable, but each passing day is another opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. God’s spirit is transforming us and preparing us for eternity and becoming more like Jesus. Rather than looking backward in life, becoming cynical or bitter, we are to grow into the person that God has called us to be. Each day becomes an opportunity for renewal and growth – no matter how old we get.
Sometimes, even the smartest and most spiritual among us can be a little bit dense. We just don’t understand what Jesus is trying to tell us. For example, how would you feel if you were in the boat on the day of this exchange?
*“But the disciples had forgotten to bring any food. They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, ‘Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.’
At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread.
Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, ‘Why are you arguing about having no bread? Don’t you know or understand even yet? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear? Don’t you remember anything at all? When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?’
‘Twelve,’ they said.
‘And when I fed the 4,000 with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?’
‘Seven,’ they said.
‘Don’t you understand yet?’ he asked them.”* (Mark 8:14-21)
Jesus channels his frustration with the disciples into these nine pointed questions. They have travelled with him, seen his miracles, heard his teaching and still don’t understand what he is saying. I’m sure they felt somewhat embarrassed. When Jesus warned them about the “yeast of the Pharisees”, he wasn’t talking about bread. Jesus was warning them about the evil designs that the Pharisees were planning: the plot to kill him. The disciples had missed the whole point. They were thinking about their stomachs.
I wonder how often I read a passage of scripture and do just that: miss the whole point because I’m thinking about something else. I’m preoccupied with my needs, my situation, or my empty stomach and I totally miss out on what God is trying to say to me. After all this time with Jesus, knowing him, his teaching and his miracles, we can still miss the most basic of messages.
As you read your Bible this week, slow down and take your time. Listen to what Jesus is really saying.
See you Sunday,
Poor Milan Shipper. A high school student from the Netherlands who just wanted an exciting vacation before heading off to university. His dream is to visit Australia for a few weeks, so he was excited to find an amazing deal online to Sydney. Seeing the offer, he booked it on the spot. However, when he boarded his second flight, from Toronto to Sydney, he was surprised at how small the plane was. After the flight had taken off, he discovered he was going to another city called Sydney: the one in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Sydney, the Canadian one, is a lovely place on the East Coast, but it wasn’t where Milan wanted to go. The folks at the airline, being good Canadians, apologized to him. They got him on a return flight back to Amsterdam and were able to help him get a ticket to his dream location: Sydney, the Australian one.
Such mistakes are not uncommon. Sometimes, despite our best attempts, our plans go wrong. We take a path that doesn’t get us where we want to go. Some mistakes are easily corrected and leave no marks. Other mistakes can go far deeper and carry far more lasting implications.
That’s why we need Easter and the power of the resurrection. The resurrection is about hope. Sin and death don’t have the final word over life. The resurrection affirms that the price of our sins has been paid. God’s love has overcome. We can have confidence that we are headed in the right direction towards the right destination.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:18-21
Christians are ‘people of the resurrection’. It impacts our outlook on life and our hope in death. It assures us that God is in control and he can work with our sins and mistakes. It’s our guarantee that we are on the right path and will reach our heavenly destiny. “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”
See you Sunday,
When I was growing up, we lived in a house on my grandmother’s farm. My father and I had an annual spring ritual which was to go ‘fencing’. That meant taking a trip around the perimeter of the farm to check the condition of the fences. It was essential to ensure that animals, mostly cattle, wouldn’t be able to get out into someone else’s property. “Good fences make good neighbours” is a favourite saying of farmers.
In our physical world, it is easy to observe barriers or boundaries. There are fences, walls or signs that inform us that we are moving from one place to the other. Healthy living involves knowing and observing boundaries in the emotional and spiritual areas of life. For many people finding the boundaries between work life and personal life can be very difficult.
People want a sense of fulfillment in their work and desire a rich and fulfilling private life. Finding balance can be a challenge. The teacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes seemed to understand this dilemma. “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me…So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun…There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw is from the hand of God.” (Eccl 2:18-25)
The teacher sees both good and bad in work and recognizes that work and life enjoyment are both from God. And yet, there can be a lot of frustration in sorting out that interaction. He goes on to write that to “everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Eccl 3:1) To me, it sounds like he is helping us to think about boundaries in life.
We are not what we do. Our value and worth comes from God. He has given us talents and skills to be used to bless others and provide purpose. We should not conclude that work is all there is in life. We need to enjoy family, good food and fun times. The teacher in Ecclesiastes reminds us that life is short and our work will not be finished but left for someone else. We need to hear this perspective today.
It’s not easy in the modern world to find the right work-life balance. But then, it wasn’t easy when Ecclesiastes was written. The point is, that wrestling with finding the boundaries and balancing the good things God has provided is a part of life. There is wisdom in thinking about these things and letting God guide us to the answers.
| Sue Markham really wanted a dog. Her husband wasn’t so keen on the idea. He finally relented and agreed that they could get a dog if it was a small one that wouldn’t take up too much space in their home. Sue began looking for a puppy at animal shelters and when she saw little Yogi she just had to have him. She brought Yogi home and told her husband that he was a Jack Russell Terrier and would not likely ever be over twenty pounds. Then Yogi started to grow and Mr. Markham became concerned over the amount of food that Yogi was eating. Mrs. Markham had to confess that Yogi wasn’t really a Jack Russell. She was hoping that her husband wouldn’t notice her little “white lie” until it was too late to change his mind. She hoped he, too, would love their new pet.In reality, Yogi is a Great Dane. And not just any Great Dane but a Boston Great Dane, which just also happens to be one of the single largest breeds on the planet!A news reporter writes: “Today, Yogi is weighing in at about 200 pounds, and is around six feet, ten inches from tip to tail. Much bigger than your everyday Jack Russell, that’s for sure. He’s a neighbourhood favourite as well, gaining tons of attention for his very large size and gentle giant manner.”Mr. Markham must be the forgiving type because he and his wife are still living together and he has come to love the small pony that now lives in his home. The story has a happy ending but not all little white lies end so well.King Solomon offers advice to all of us in the Song of Songs: “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines.” (2:15) Solomon tells us that it is the little foxes that spoil the vines – the little things that can have a big impact. This appears to be a warning to you and me.We need to watch out for subtle dangers of so-called “little sins”. It is often the “little sins” that grow into larger problems if they go unchecked. God’s word is clear that sin is sin. We try to excuse these “little sins” by saying something like, “It was just a little white lie. It won’t hurt anyone. No one will really notice. It’s not like I murdered anyone.” Indeed, the consequences of certain sins may be more serious than others. What we need to guard is the attitude of our heart. We don’t want little things growing into big problems. It’s better not to start with any “little sins” but rather to stop them from starting. Most of us don’t have room for a Great Dane in our lives.See you Sunday, Pastor David |
| It was a difficult meeting. I was right and the other person was wrong. They were explaining what they felt and I was defending myself. I got in some really good points. But after the meeting, I felt embarrassed. To defend myself and get in my side of the story I had been rude and condescending. If there was video evidence, it wouldn’t show me in a very good light.When I look back over my life, the times that embarrass me the most are occasions when I wasn’t very gracious or even a little bit gracious. These are events, conversations or behaviours that I am ashamed of. I could have responded differently but I didn’t. At the time I felt justified. I was being attacked or treated unfairly. The other person was being a jerk. I had a right to be annoyed. But now when I look back all I see is my poor conduct.Jesus faced a lot of criticism and questions. A certain group of people sought to find something wrong with him or his teaching. He was never a pushover and on occasion, he had harsh words. But he was very gracious, patient and never rude, sarcastic or demeaning to others. In the face of outright opposition and attack, Jesus remained true to his character.Colossians 4:6 in The Message reads: Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.Sometimes it’s easy to view other people as the enemy or competition. We try to score points and stick it to them. That’s evidence of a heart that hasn’t yet been transformed, it’s simply un-Christlike. There are dozens of conversations I would like to go back and do-over. But I can’t. So, I need to make sure my interactions with people are gracious and kind. I pray that God will put a guard over my mouth so that what I say encourages and builds others rather than tearing them down. It’s important to remember – “be gracious in your speech.”See you Sunday, Pastor David |
In this age of social media, there is no shortage of access to preaching and teaching. Many well-known pastors and even lesser-known pastors can get their message out through the internet. When I was growing up, the number of well-known pastors was somewhat more limited. Among them was Chuck Swindoll from California. He had a popular radio broadcast and was a prolific writer. Many of his stories and teachings have stayed with me over the years and made an impact. He had a great ability to take the Biblical text and apply it to daily living.
Here’s a quote from Swindoll on the importance of attitude:
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. Nor can we change the fact that people act in a certain way. We also cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you – we are in charge of our attitudes.” (Chuck Swindoll, Improving Your Serve, 1981)
That’s a good reminder during the middle of our week. Unexpected events and problems can come at us from all directions. We can get overwhelmed by all the demands placed on us. In the midst of that, we can choose how to handle it.
The writer of Proverbs said, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) Don’t let the daily grind crush you this week. Ask the Lord to help you with a joyful heart.
Driving between the cities of Baku and Ganji in Azerbaijan requires crossing a desert. We managed the trip once; it was an incredibly hot day. I was happy we didn’t have any car trouble out in the middle of nowhere. Visiting a desert is kind of fun. It’s such a different landscape from the rocks and woods that I grew up in. But I wouldn’t want to live in a desert – it’s too barren, too empty and too dry.
We often use the image of a desert to describe those periods of spiritual drought in our lives. Those times when we feel that we are stumbling around without direction and drying up from thirst. Our first reaction, our impulse really, is just to find a way out of that place; we simply want the suffering to end.
Israel spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness, the desert of Sinai. I can’t image the hardships and discomfort that must have brought. The only way out was to let God guide them. And the only way out of our desert times is to let God guide us. When we find ourselves in the wilderness, our priority shouldn’t be to get out but rather to draw near to God. If we can draw closer to God then he will lead us out.
In Numbers 9 God gave Israel a sign “the cloud covered it (the tabernacle) by day and the appearance of fire by night” (9:16). Whenever the cloud moved, the people packed up and followed. They were following the presence of God.
Often in our desert experiences, we long to be rescued and delivered. Our cry is simply, “Get me out of here”. God had a plan and purpose for taking Israel through the desert. Ultimately our Christian life is about following God, our journey with him, through the deserts and the forests.
Israel did not wander in the wilderness alone; God was there. The Bible says there is no place where God cannot be found. I think that includes our desert times. You are not lost; God knows exactly where you are. Look for his presence and wait for him to guide you out.
A dominant driver in our culture is convenience. The business world is obsessed with finding ways to make it easier for us to buy things. We can barely stand to purchase something if it takes more than 3 clicks. You get the feeling that inconvenience must be purged from society. It’s not just that we […]
The public transportation company in Aargau is putting out a new safety campaign. The ads show videos of people and cars with near tram mishaps. Some of the videos show a car or van turning onto tracks, unaware of the tram. Others show people with headphones in or focused on their phones wandering into the […]
Poor Arti Mala went to a lot of trouble and expense to fly from her home in Scotland to attend a friend’s wedding in Washington, DC. How embarrassing then when she discovered she was at the wrong wedding. After a 3,000-mile flight and a taxi ride, she realized her mistake when she read the wedding program and didn’t know who the bride and groom were. Double-checking her invitation, she discovered the correct venue was just six miles away. In her defense, the name of the wedding venues was very similar. But she was a little mortified at crashing a wedding.
I admire her commitment to travelling so far for her friends. She’s the opposite kind of person from the ones Jesus talks about in Matthew 22. A king prepared a wedding banquet for his son and sent out invitations. But when the time for the wedding came, the guests refused to come. The king grew agitated and sent his servants to collect the guests. “But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business.” (Matthew 22:5)
It’s hard to imagine that people would so carelessly ignore an invitation to the wedding of a royal. And yet, that is exactly Jesus’ point. The king of heaven has invited us into his kingdom, and many people chose to ignore him. In fact, they get angry at the messengers who bring the invitation. It’s hard to share the gospel message with people and see them reject it.
So, the king called his servants and said, “Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. The servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find…and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” (Matthew 22:9-10)
Like the servants in the parable, you will encounter people who are not interested in Jesus or even reject him outright. It can be discouraging. Remember that God’s kingdom will be filled. There are still many more people who need to receive an invitation. Don’t stop inviting people or sharing the message. You just never know who may say ‘yes’.
A Montrealer has been named the ‘Fittest Man on Earth.’ That’s quite the title and I was interested in knowing how or who could determine this kind of distinction. Jeffery Adler won the title at the CrossFit Games, an annual championship for people involved with CrossFit gyms which offer high-intensity workouts. So, the pool of […]
Reading through the gospels on a regular basis should be a consistent part of discipleship. It’s in the gospels where we meet Jesus and get a clearer picture of who he is and what he teaches. All scripture is written for our benefit and there are no verses more important or more inspired than others. […]
Here’s a promising lead. You can rent a fake private jet for $49.99 per hour to take pictures for your social media accounts. This way you can pretend to be fabulously wealthy and impress the people who follow you. You can also sign up for one of the many tutorials that teach you how to […]
What is it about some people who just can’t help but give you advice, even when you didn’t ask for it? It’s one of my pet peeves. Truthfully, I think we all do it sometimes, it’s a human disorder. I’m going to do it right now. So, if you don’t want to hear my advice, […]
If you have done any hiking in Switzerland, you are probably grateful for those little yellow signs that are ubiquitous. The signs not only point out the direction of the next town or summit but also give you an estimated amount of time it will take to get there. Even when you have done all […]
My cell phone rang a week ago as I walked to the church. Although I didn’t recognize the number, I answered. It was a recording from the Basel Police Department saying there had been suspicious activity connected with my Swiss Identity card. We recently moved apartments and I had been showing my card to different […]
When my son was young, he was active. It was hard to keep him interested in anything for very long. Never one to watch a video or sit quietly in front of the TV made it challenging to keep him busy. But if road construction was happening, he would sit and watch it all day. […]
Are you ready for a crazy story? I have heard of stories like this before, but this one is over the top. A few weeks ago, a man in Belgium faked his own death. The mourners gathered in the cemetery to say their goodbyes and while waiting for things to begin a helicopter appeared and […]
Last week, we took our dog to the vet. She needed minor surgery and to be checked over for general health. The anesthetic left her a little dazed and confused but she’s doing fine. I’m always amazed at the level of care that animals receive in Western culture. They really are treated as members of […]
A passenger boarded a Los Angeles to New York plane and told the flight attendant to wake him up and make sure he got off in Dallas. The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York. Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation. The attendant mumbled an apology and, […]
Years ago, I had the opportunity to go spelunking in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Spelunking is also known as caving, basically crawling and climbing through damp and dark caves. It was a fun experience although at times the space was very small, and you had to remind yourself not to panic. Those with claustrophobia will […]
A student in a biology class was given the assignment to learn about birds. He was to learn the classification, the scientific name, the common name and characteristics of all the birds. The professor said, “Learn everything about them.”
On the day of the exam, the student was horrified when he looked at the test asking him to identify the birds pictured from their knees down. He knew the birds well, but he couldn’t identify any of them from their knees down. He tossed his paper onto the pile of exams on the instructor’s table and explained his frustration.
The unsympathetic professor said, “Well, you’ll just have to take a zero. I told you to learn everything about them. What’s your name?”
The boy reached down and pulled up his pants to his knees and said, “You tell me!”
There is only one you. And there is only one me. God has made each of us unique. Scientists can tell us apart because we have our own DNA. Mothers can tell us apart because they know their own children. Dogs can tell us apart because we each smell different.
Some days, we might not feel all that special or different from the people around us. But Jesus told us that the Father sees each sparrow fall. (Matthew 10:29) If he knows the birds so well, then he knows what is happening in our lives. He made us and he loves us. Some days, we just need to remember that God’s love and care are enough.
Become wise by walking with the wise;
hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces. (Proverbs 13:20)
As parents, we watch who our children hang out with. We know that peer groups are a significant factor in how our children behave or the activities they participate in. Running with the wrong crowd always leads to trouble.
The same truth applies to adults. Who we spend time with matters. Our friend group has a powerful impact on us, so we must choose our friends wisely. Most of us have a desire to serve God and live a life for him. To help us with that goal we need people who share that desire so that we can encourage one another to keep moving in a positive direction.
Of course, we shouldn’t cut ourselves off from people who aren’t like us. It’s not a matter of isolation. We can be salt and light to the world around us. It’s really a matter of where we invest that time and who we allow to speak into our lives. Our values and our lifestyle are reinforced when we hang out with like-minded people. As the teacher says, we become wise by walking with the wise.
Evaluating our peer group as an adult is challenging. But taking stock of the influences around us is essential. Are they heading to the same destination you are?
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; … a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)
After a busy Easter Weekend, Rhonda and I went for a long walk on Monday. Spring is definitely on its way. The sun was shining, and the temperature was just right. Getting out in nature is a wonderful way of being refreshed and renewed. Springtime is the promise of something new. The colder days are passing away. The daylight hours are getting longer. Trees are starting to bud, and flowers are blooming in bright colours. It’s an amazing season of promise.
Sometimes I think the talk about different seasons of life is a little overused. Some people seem to be in a different season every couple of weeks. But the truth is that the seasons change about every three months. Change can come quickly, and the seasons of life can also change quickly. We can go from laughing to crying in record time.
There are seasons of parenting, seasons of hardship, seasons of friendships, seasons of struggles and seasons of grace. Each part can teach us something about the value of life and how precious each moment is. Embracing our current situation isn’t always easy. We want some seasons to last forever and others to pass quickly.
God knows all about the seasons of your life, including the one you are in right now. No matter what season you find yourself in, you can take comfort in knowing that God is always with you. As you continue to grow in your faith and trust in Him, you can rest assured that He will guide you through every season of life.
You know it’s Easter in Switzerland because there are so many chocolate bunnies everywhere. Switzerland consumes more chocolate per person than any other nation. But at Christmas and Easter, the amount of chocolate for sale in the stores is ridiculous.
I’m not sure how we moved from Easter being about Jesus’ death and resurrection to chocolate bunnies and eggs. I don’t blame the secular world because the majority of people in the Western world still identify as Christians. We can complain about other people all we like, but this happened on our watch. We replaced the truth with sugar and spring colors. This has left the world without a much-needed message. Most people just seem to celebrate a long weekend rather than a risen savior.
Easter is about the cross and resurrection power. The cross would be meaningless without the empty tomb. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)
People need hope. The news from around the world is depressing. Evil still abounds and seeks to destroy life wherever it can. No amount of chocolate is going to ease the pain. The world needs to hear the message of hope, peace and reconciliation that is only found in the power of the resurrection. If we don’t believe in this hope, the resurrection, then how can we convince the world?
It is said that the early church gathered on the first day of the week because that was the day of the resurrection. Each Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead. Our reason for getting out of bed on Sunday morning is to declare that “Jesus is alive” and that the world is a better place for it. There is nothing wrong with candy and chocolate bunnies, but don’t forget what this season was intended to remind us: “Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!”
This past Saturday our church was filled with the sound of children. Some of them shouting, most of them singing, talking and laughing a lot. I think it’s good therapy to watch children at play. It’s a shame God gave all that energy to such young children. Saturday was an Easter Day Camp at the church. The message and story of Jesus’s death and resurrection was reinforced in story, crafts, and games. It was a great day, and our volunteers outdid themselves.
Jesus is remembered for his tender inclusion of children. They are valuable members of his kingdom. The disciples had been travelling with Jesus for some time. They were amazed by his teaching and his miracles. Wherever they went there were groups of people wanting to see Jesus. Suddenly they were in the middle of an important moment in Jewish history. As their own self-importance grew, they made some wrong judgements about the values of the kingdom. There was a mistaken belief that you had to be an adult to really understand or take part in what Jesus was talking about.
When a group of parents wanted Jesus to bless their children, the disciples decided they weren’t important enough to waste time on. There was no time for children when the world waited for a Messiah. ‘Don’t bother the master’. Jesus wouldn’t let it happen. He called them and said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. (Matthew 19:14-15)
It didn’t take long but Jesus sent a message that is too significant for us to miss. We can learn from children. We need to have a childlike faith in Christ. And, we need to include children in our church activities. If you want a place that’s clean, orderly and quiet then visit a morgue. But if you want to be where life is happening, visit a nursery.
It’s been a tough few weeks for all things Swiss. First, it was Toblerone. The iconic Swiss chocolate bar is no longer Swiss enough. It’s now mainly manufactured in other countries. The words “made in Switzerland” and the image of the Matterhorn will no longer appear on the packaging, in accordance with “Swissness” legislation. There are strict regulations for Swiss-made products that aim to protect the “Swiss” brand. A lot of people are mourning the loss.
That “Swiss” brand took another hit this weekend when Credit Suisse became the latest bank to fold. After a tense couple of days, it emerged that the bank, founded in 1856, will be taken over by its competitor, UBS. It’s left the Swiss sense of competence and stability somewhat shaken.
It’s a reminder that things are not always as they seem. What we think is solid or permanent doesn’t always turn out to be. After 75 years of peace, no one expected war in Europe again. After the meltdown in 2008, we thought the problems with the banking system were behind us. While we had been warned about a pandemic for years, it seems like no one was really prepared for one. The fallout from the last three years has shaken our confidence in many of our essential systems and services.
There are some things that cannot be shaken and will remain forever. The kingdom of God is one of those unshakeable things. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28) The stuff we really can’t depend on will be shaken away but God’s kingdom, his presence and his promises remain. The world around us is always changing and we find that troubling.
When we focus on his unshakeable kingdom we are simply filled with awe. I’m grateful I can trust something that is stable.
It was three years ago this week that everything changed. The world suddenly shut down. I remember thinking it would all be over in three weeks. Boy, was I wrong. I look forward to the day when we don’t have to reference everything as pre or post covid.
While most of us would like to forget all the issues and problems associated with covid in the last few years, it is good to take time for a bit of reflection. Here are three things that can help.
- Count your losses. We all experienced losses and it was painful. Some of it still stings. Losses include family celebrations, missed travel & holiday plans, job stress and lost income. Even the loss of loved ones who passed away. The list is personal and endless. It’s important to acknowledge the things that the covid crisis took from us.
- Count the gains. I’m not sure I have spent much time thinking about these. Were there gains? Yes. The busy schedule of several nights out a week changed and I was home. More family time and less hectic pace. The opportunity to pick up a hobby or do more reading, gardening and baking bread. We gained insight into our world and how fragile it can be. Despite painful moments, we had some good times as well.
- Keep the good. When the children of Israel returned from exile, they were very different people. God had used the time in Babylon to strip away the things they didn’t need. There was a new focus and devotion to God and his Word. They embraced a new identity and started to live it out.
What are some of the ‘good things’ which you need to keep in place as we move forward? As Jeremiah writes after the fall of Jerusalem, “Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God.” (Lamentations 3:40) It’s been hard to not consider how the last three years have impacted our relationship with God. Have we drawn closer? Have we seen how fragile our world is? Have we placed all our trust in him?
I have lots of questions about the last three years but this I know, it’s a great opportunity to consider the way I’m living and make sure that my life is reordered under God.
In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Shortly after, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. In August of that year, the two men met together for a historic race to determine who was the fastest. Landy held the lead as they entered the last lap, but he couldn’t help wondering how close Bannister was. As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won!”
Lot’s wife is the biblical poster child for the dangers of looking back. Her city was being destroyed. She had been warned to flee and not look back, but the urge was too strong: “Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)
It’s never easy to leave behind the things that we know and love – even when those things are not so healthy for us. In our spiritual life, there are certain behaviors – sins – which we must leave behind. God invites us to move on and to grow in holiness, yet we have a tendency to look back at something familiar and perhaps comforting. Mrs. Lot’s story suggests that is unwise. Repentance means turning away from sin.
What is it you need to leave behind? What do you keep looking back at? And if you keep looking back, what effect is it going to have on where you are going?
Having been freed from slavery, the children of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt. But that wasn’t where their freedom lay. They needed to press on to the Promised Land and trust God for victory. It’s no different for us today. Paul says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:13, 14)
Keep looking heavenward. There is nothing behind you that is needed for this journey.
Last week was the beginning of the Lent season. Most protestants (depending on their tradition) don’t know much about Lent. The Christian calendar was designed to help Christians remember and celebrate joyful occasions. But it was also designed to help Christians practice a variety of spiritual disciplines and think about their faith in everyday circumstances. The practice of ‘giving something up for Lent’ is to remind us of ‘mortification’ – not something we hear a lot about these days. It’s intended to help us identify or think about the sufferings of Christ.
As Christians, we are committed to a lifelong fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. Mortification is the way we combat the flesh. Paul talks about it as an essential part of Christian living. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” (Col. 3:5) Most of the newer translations replace the word ‘mortify’ with ‘put to death.’ In Romans 8:13 he writes, “If by the Spirit you put to death (mortify) the deeds of the body, you will live.”
We must constantly be watching, praying and examining our hearts or we can enter into temptation without realizing what we are doing. Our daily battle against temptations, temptations of the flesh as the Bible calls it, will always be with us in this world. To believe that we have moved beyond a need for regular examination and confession is foolish. We begin to think of sinful habits as harmless and comforting when in fact they deaden our heart and relationship with God.
Thinking about the sacrifice of Christ during the season of Lent is a good thing. But we shouldn’t just practice it just for forty days. We need spiritual disciplines that stick with us and develop our soul. Daily we are called to take up our cross and follow Him.
If you have a ‘read the Bible in a year’ plan, you’re probably hitting the book of Leviticus about now. That’s tough reading and seems so far removed from today. Yet, God has preserved his Word for us. A thousand years before Christ, David sought refuge from Saul among the rocks and caves along the Dead Sea in a spot called Ein Gedi. There, he was safe from attack and supplied by a freshwater spring. Five hundred years after Christ, a little Jewish town had sprung up in that very same spot. Not long after that, a fire destroyed it and the inhabitants moved away. In 1970, the town was re-discovered by archaeologists. Among the discoveries was the local synagogue. Inside the burned-out ruins, they found ancient parchment scrolls of Scripture which had been badly damaged.
Among the find was a small, carbonized scroll that was too fragile to read or even attempt to open. The scroll, which looked more like a little briquette, was left to sit in a storage box for another 45 years. New technology developed by the University of Kentucky was used to determine the contents. Using new digital imaging software they developed, scientists were able to see the different layers of the scroll and recreate it in a two-dimensional format. The text is from Leviticus chapters 1 and 2. The clearest verses are the first eight from chapter one. Ironically, Leviticus begins with a section on burnt offerings.
Archaeologists have good reason to appreciate this discovery, but it’s even more encouraging for Christians. Our modern Bible was translated into English not from original copies (which have never been found), but from the oldest available copies dating back to the 10th century A.D. This has led some critics of the Bible to claim that the Bible we have today has been changed or altered along the way. However, this little fragment found in Ein Gedi (written before the 4th century) conforms in every respect to the Masoretic Text from which we translate our Bible. This means that for over several hundred years, the text was copied with careful accuracy – nothing changed or altered. This gives further proof that God has preserved his Word and we can have confidence in the Scriptures we read today.
The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
You, O Lord, will keep them (Psalm 12:6-7a)
It might seem like a little thing, but I find it’s the little things along the way that help strengthen our faith.
Why is it so hard to get things done? We all have a to-do list that never seems to end. On top of that, we have goals and dreams that we want to accomplish. At times it seems like we make little progress. For many of us, life is just too busy. We are working hard at our careers, raising a family, and trying to find balance.
Maybe you started the year with some new goals or resolutions. You promised yourself that you’d work harder to make some things happen. You would change some of your routines and pursue some goals. We are now six weeks into the new year and for many people, those goals seem to be slipping away.
There are times when we have to offer ourselves a little grace in the same way we would extend it to others. We can be our own worst enemies and often judge ourselves too harshly. I’m not saying we should be lazy or give up pursuing our goals. It’s just that when we live without grace, we can grow blind to the things that are really important. Much of the disappointment and anxiety we feel is self-inflicted.
It’s important to make sure we have perspective and stay refreshed. Proverbs 12:25,
Worry weighs us down;
a cheerful word picks us up.
It might be time to take a pause and revise some of those new year’s resolutions. What’s realistic? What is important in this season of life? What relationships are you nurturing and paying attention to? We can keep moving forward if we are intentional but don’t despair if everything doesn’t get finished in a day. Feed yourself with some cheerful words. The Lord has grace for you and sometimes you just need to rest in that.
A few years ago, Marie Kondo had a hit TV show called Tidying Up. In each show, she would visit a family and help them tidy their home. Often the biggest job was helping them get rid of things they really didn’t need. Keeping everything tidy and organized was a virtue. Recently, she made the news again. Since having her third child, she admits that it’s a lot of work to keep everything tidy. She says, “I realise what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.”
Marie Kondo and some other YouTube stars have been at the forefront of the recent ‘minimalism’ movement. In a world that is so consumer-driven, many people are finally seeing the dangers of having too much stuff. The more stuff you have, the more work it is to look after everything. It can be expensive and sometimes bad for the planet. Long before the current wave of minimalism, there were Christian believers urging us to live simply. That is, to live with what we need and to hold our possession lightly. Simplicity is actually a spiritual practice, along with prayer and Bible reading.
Jesus spoke to this issue in Matthew 6:28-30, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”
Richard Foster in his chapter on The Discipline of Simplicity lists ten outward expressions of simplicity. I think they are helpful to consider:
- Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status
- Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you
- Develop a habit of giving things away
- Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry
- Learn to enjoy things without owning them
- Develop a deeper appreciation for creation
- Look with a healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes
- Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech
- Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others
- Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal
Each of those points deserves more thought and explanation but it’s a good list. Keeping our life simple, free from the pressure of caring for material goods means we can spend more time and energy on the people around us and pay attention to what the Lord is doing in our lives.
What does a generous life look like? Generous in what way? For some people, it means giving money to worthy causes. For others, it might be using their time with someone who needs comfort or help with chores. We can use our social connections to help others find employment or support for a difficult situation. Our world often points to those who make grand gestures, but giving is more about a lifestyle than a one-time donation. It’s a spiritual discipline that all Christians need to practice.
Proverbs 11:24-25: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
How can we practice generosity?
- Recognise that what we have, comes from the Lord and so we can afford to give to others
- Think about all your resources – time, money, connections, possessions
- Have a plan for regular giving to the local church
- Watch for occasions to give to special needs like relief situations
- Every once and a while give something that hurts – generosity includes sacrifice
Remember that’s it not the amount that counts, but the spirit in which we give to and serve others. I came across this little story on the internet about a wealthy man who complained to the pastor about giving. “Do you have any idea how much money I make? How could I possibly give 10 percent away?” To which the pastor, replied, “Let’s pray together that God will reduce your income to a level where you feel comfortable giving 10 percent away.”
Giving is hard, no matter how much you have. Generosity fits a disciple and it’s all about the posture of the heart. You can’t out-give God!
I’m worried I may be replaced. At least in some measure. I have been trying out a new Artificial Intelligence Content Writer. You can ask it to write an essay, or create an article or advertisement. It will even write a sermon based on a bible passage and it does. It’s pretty good too.
This month I am writing about our spiritual practices or disciplines. I asked it to write an article on why going to church is important. Here’s part of what it wrote for me:
Attending church is an important aspect of many people’s lives, and there are many reasons why it is worth making the effort to go. Here are a few reasons why going to church is important:
- Spiritual Growth: Church provides a space for individuals to connect with their faith and spirituality. Through worship, prayer, and listening to sermons, individuals are able to grow in their understanding and relationship with God.
- Community Support: Church is a place where individuals can find a sense of belonging and community. Through small groups, volunteer opportunities, and other activities, individuals are able to build relationships with others who share their beliefs and values.
- Service and Outreach: Church provides opportunities for individuals to give back to their community and the world.
- Personal and Societal Issues: Church provides guidance on how to navigate personal and societal issues, such as morals, ethics, and social justice.
- Mental Health and Well-being: Church can play an important role in mental health and well-being, as it provides a sense of hope, purpose, and belonging. Research has shown that individuals who attend church regularly have lower rates of depression and anxiety.
- Intergenerational Connections: Church can provide opportunities for individuals to connect with people of different ages and learn from one another.
- Personal Spiritual Development: Church can be a powerful tool for personal spiritual development and growth. Through the practice of prayer, worship, and study, individuals can deepen their faith and relationship with God.
In conclusion, attending church is an important aspect of many people’s lives for various reasons.
I think the AI Writer did a good job. All excellent points. So, I may not be needed to write these articles in the future. Time will tell. But as a member of the church, you are still needed. You can’t be replaced. We need each other in order to grow in our faith. Technology can’t replace that. We weren’t meant to be alone.
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5
As we commit to new habits in the coming year, let’s not forget about regularly being with the church. For your sake and for others, show up and be counted.
The fight was over something silly. She told him that they needed milk for the morning. He said he had checked and there was lots of milk. He didn’t need to go out and get more. But the next morning there was no milk. Now he blames her, and she’s frustrated because he just can’t admit he lied.
The boss wanted the documents so he could close the file. She said they had been left at home and she’d bring them tomorrow. In truth, she had lost the paperwork and was scrambling to figure out where they had gone. She didn’t want to have to tell her boss the truth.
Why is it so difficult to admit when we are wrong or make a mistake? There seem to be a lot of people in the public eye these days who have a hard time admitting they ever did anything wrong. When presented with evidence and eyewitness accounts, they spin a story about how everyone else is to blame. It’s just not popular to own our errors or blunders.
Confession is an important part of our Christian faith. Richard Foster starts his chapter on the Discipline of Confession with these words, “At the heart of God is the desire to forgive and to give.” Yet to receive the forgiveness of God and live in right relationship with him it is necessary that we confess our wrongdoings. Worse, we must confess that we have sinned. The very thing most people hate to do.
It’s not just an initial confession that is needed. Part of a Christian’s spiritual life includes regular confession. It is another one of our spiritual practices or disciplines. We need to regularly examine our hearts and see if there is anything that is displeasing to him. Anything we need to confess as sinful or not of Christ. While we have been saved, it doesn’t mean we never sin again. Acknowledging our sins is what keeps us close in our walk with God. This calls for some time in our day when we give careful reflection on how we used our words, what our motives were, or what was in our thought life.
The Psalmist reminds us of the power of confession.
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5)
How good it is to be forgiven. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience that today.
If you live in Switzerland, you are familiar with the official ‘quiet hours’. Every day from noon to 1 pm, 10 pm to 7 am and all-day Sunday, we are to refrain from ‘excessive’ noise. Times may vary between cantons, but we are to respect our neighbors by keeping it down. What exactly counts as a noise violation is a little vague. The good news, however, is that if you do violate the noise ordinance you will be notified.
When was the last time you really had silence? We live in a noisy world that seeks to grab our attention for every waking moment. If it’s not music playing in the background, it’s our phone notifications making sure we don’t miss anything. Our world is designed to keep us busy, so we don’t pay attention to the important things.
Over the centuries, one key spiritual discipline for Christians is practicing silence. Simply being quiet before the Lord. If the monks, centuries ago, needed this discipline, how much more are we needing it today? How can God speak to us when we are so distracted by everything around us? How can we formulate our prayers and think about our souls? When do we have time to hear the voice of the Lord?
Silence is a spiritual practice. It is necessary to renew and restore us. When Jesus was travelling and teaching, he had a regular habit of withdrawing in order to be with the Father. “The news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:15-16) It wasn’t just that Jesus took time to pray but he would find a quiet place to do so.
When was the last time you really had silence? For some, quietness is uncomfortable. But it is essential. Start small. Schedule some time when the phone and computer are off. No checking notifications. No one else around. Can you sit quietly for 10 minutes? Can you invite God to fill those moments with his presence? If our desire is to grow in Christ-like character, then we need silence to hear.
| We have apps now that will measure most of our activities during the day. Our steps are counted and calories calculated. I get a weekly report on how many hours of screen time I’ve wasted. I get a morning reminder from our office suite about my tasks and what projects are left undone. However, I haven’t yet found an app that tracks my time spent in prayer.That might be a good thing. I’m not sure I am always as faithful in prayer as I think I am or want to be. For a Christian, prayer is one of those keystone habits we hear so much about. Keystone habits are those routines and practices that we use to operate our lives. There are certain routines we do so often that they become regular habits. Most of the time those habits make life better.At the beginning of a New Year, we often think about resolutions or goals that we have for the year ahead. It’s the 4th of January and you may already be behind. But don’t give up. Making prayer a regular part of our lives doesn’t need to be hard. We do need to be intentional, but we don’t have to make it difficult. No one starts off by praying for an hour each day. Many times, our prayer takes place over the course of the day in little bits here and there. The main thing is to start a practice, find a time and keep the routine. We are counselled to devote ourselves “to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2)Some of the best advice on prayer comes from the Alpha course. In the session on prayer, a priest offers these three pointers: Keep it simple – no need for formal or fancy words Keep it honest – be yourself and share from the heart Keep it going – make it regular, even when it’s tough Starting with that routine should be easy enough for all of us. Building spiritual practices into our lives isn’t meant to burden us, but rather place us before God where he can speak into our lives and do the work that only he can. |
| What do you call this period of time between Christmas and New Year’s? The Norwegians have a name for these six days: Romjul. In the UK it might be referred to as Boxing Week while some in the United States are calling it Twixtmas. It can be an odd period of time when we aren’t quite sure what to do with ourselves. Some people have to work for a few days. Others are off for the week and finding ways to spend the downtime. Not many of us feel like starting any big projects in the middle of this lull. No matter what you call it, it leaves us in limbo before we start the New Year and get down to working on our resolutions. As we prepare to say goodbye to 2022, I want to leave you with a simple verse of scripture: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) This week we might find ourselves with more time to think and contemplate. Each year brings its own joys and sorrows. It’s important to acknowledge the good times and the bad times. But whatever you have been through, whatever you are hoping for or expecting in the days ahead, know this – God is faithful. Remembering this truth will help carry you through the days to come. My prayer for you in 2023 is that you would grow in your knowledge and depth of God’s faithfulness and love. |
| The mystery of Christmas isn’t some secret that we don’t know. It’s about a reality that our minds have trouble comprehending: the God of the universe became a baby. There is one common characteristic about every baby ever born – helplessness. They can literally do nothing for themselves. A baby must be fed, burped, and have their diaper changed by someone else. They must be picked up and moved, protected from the elements, and cared for or they don’t survive. How is it possible that the God of the universe would willingly subject himself to become such a powerless infant? How could he trust a young inexperienced couple with his future here on earth? That is the mystery. As one writer put it: “God’s infinity, dwindled to infancy.” As Jesus grew, he was just like any other child. The creator of the universe, the one who separated the land from the sea, had to learn to crawl across the floor before he could take his first steps. I wonder what his first words were. Did he drool much when he started teething? Did he catch the typical childhood illnesses? It is astounding that our God came to earth and was just like us. He knows what it is like to be helpless and frail, dependent on someone else. He did it willingly because he loved us. It wasn’t an experiment so that he could simply identify with his creatures. He came because there was no other way to rescue us from the powers of sin and death. To help helpless people, God himself needed to become the helpless one. A Christmas mystery indeed. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Galatians 4:4-5 Christmas evokes many feelings in people. But seldom do we pause to try and comprehend the baby lying in a manger. He is fully God and fully human – Emmanuel, God with us. May we never lose the sense of wonder and mystery at Christmas. Have a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas. |
In many ways, he was a man who had it all. He was a strong and powerful king who had been successful on the battlefield. He was handsome and a gifted musician. His court was well established; his kingdom was growing wealthier. This man of action was deeply prayerful and attentive to his inner life. King David was a man after God’s own heart.
And yet, his family was a mess. More problems than we can count. Upon hearing about his son Absalom’s death, David cried out “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Samuel 18:33) What’s so stunning about this verse is that Absalom died while trying to kill his father and take over the kingdom.
Into this family mess the prophet Nathan had already spoken God’s promise: “‘The Lord declares to you (David) that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood … and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever … my love will never be taken away from him…Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:11-16)
In the middle of his messy life, raising children, fighting battles, and dealing with the disappointments of family, God makes this promise to David of an everlasting kingdom and a descendant to rule. As Fleming Rutledge writes: “God did not wait until David got his family straightened out before he made the promise. God’s unconditional promise came to David in spite of himself.”
Here in the middle of the Old Testament is the promise of God we find realized at Christmas. God did raise up a descendant of David to rule forever. Things don’t need to be perfect. We don’t need to be perfect for God to keep his word. God’s promises are faithful and true even when we are not. All we can do is look upon God’s goodness in wonder and give him thanks.
| When we think of Christmas, it’s hard not to think about children. It seems like a holiday for those who are carefree and innocent. We love watching their wonder and joy throughout the season. But in Luke’s gospel, he starts with the old people. Well, not the really old people, more likely middle-aged. People for whom wonder and joy seem to be far away. People who have grown a little cynical. Zechariah and Elizabeth had been married for many years, but without children. Beyond social judgement, they would have suffered with their own disappointment and sadness. Yet they were faithful to God and continued to serve him. One day as Zechariah is chosen to serve in the Holy of Holies, everything changes. Their long-awaited dream, perhaps even a dead dream comes true. After many long years, God has answered their prayer for a son. (Luke 1:5-25) Luke isn’t finished. He does include the really old people, the senior citizens. People who longed to hear from God but aged while waiting. Simeon, waiting for God’s promise to him, is moved by the Spirit to visit the temple. He lays eyes on Jesus and suddenly he is at peace. Anna spent years of her widowhood hanging around the temple in prayer and fasting. That same day the Spirit reveals the Messiah to her. God has indeed spoken and answered their heart’s desire. (Luke 2:22-40) Many spiritual and faithful people have, at times, felt that God is hidden or silent. Anguishing prayers of sorrow, crying out to God are found in the Psalms and in the lives of many saints. Amid pain and questions about life, God seems to be absent. Why doesn’t he answer our prayers? Theologians even have a term for that – Dues Absconditus, the God who hides himself. There will be times when we feel we are in the dark of night, forgotten in some way. There will be times in our advancing age when we begin to lose hope in the promises of God. This season is a reminder that we shouldn’t give up that hope. The ‘Advent to Christmas’ movement is all about God who breaks his own silence and comes to earth in person. John tells us, “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who dwells in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” (John 1:18) Christmas is not just for children. It is for all those who are waiting for God to speak, to answer a prayer. The foundation of our hope is found in a baby laid in a manager. God has broken his silence, he has come. |
| Bruce Jameson was one course short of graduating from university. He wanted to finish it, but as he said, “life happened.” He got married, found a job, and started a family. There was no time to go back to school. Then, at the age of 93, he was awarded his Bachelor of Engineering degree. And that one course, German 2…he didn’t have to take after all.Bruce had a dream, but he had to wait for it. Life happened and it was all he could do to keep up with everything else. It wasn’t until his grandson investigated the matter that the university agreed to help. Bruce waited 70 years to walk across that stage.Most people today can’t wait while their phone charges. Seriously, we are a very impatient generation. God, however, still uses delays to shape and build us: Waiting reveals what is truly in your heart. People without the right heart desires won’t wait around long enough to make a commitment to something serious. Good things are worth the wait, and we clarify our values as we wait.Waiting helps to build patience in your life. This doesn’t seem to come naturally to anyone. I haven’t met anyone who likes waiting. Yet, as we learn to be patient with small things, we develop muscles to wait for bigger things. If we believe God for great things, he is going to test us to see whether or not we can handle it. In Scripture, we see that his servants had to learn to develop patience. His methods haven’t changed.Waiting increases your dependence upon God. This is the lesson that the saints in the Bible learned. God will always honor his promises, but his timing tested many people. It was during these difficult times of waiting that people drew closer to God and discovered what real dependence on him means. Our ultimate need is to be fully reliant on God. This waiting period before Christmas is called Advent. It is a good time to practice our waiting and reflect on our need for the Lord. James writes, “You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord’s coming is near.” (James 5:8)So whatever you are waiting for today, don’t be discouraged. It just means that when it comes to pass, you will have developed a great relationship with God. |
The annual Santa Claus parade was always well attended. There wasn’t much to do in the small town where I grew up and community events were always a big hit. In a rural community, there was no shortage of tractors to pull floats down our short main street. Different farmers or businesses would sponsor the […]
The story is told of a woman who had finished shopping and returned to her car. She found four men sitting inside the car. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun, and screamed, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.” The men did not wait […]
Embarrassing yourself in public can really take you down a notch or two. As someone who does a lot of public speaking, I have had my fair share of mistakes that have left me red-faced with no one to blame but myself. But the feelings are different when someone else embarrasses you in public. Your […]
One of the privileges of living in Europe is exploring many old cities. I find it fascinating to see the old walls that once defined the limits of a city. Even if the walls are gone it is common to see an old city gate still standing. Some gates were real works of art while […]
You know you’re getting older when: -Everything hurts, and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work -You feel like the morning after, and you haven’t been anywhere -Your children begin to look middle-aged -You decide to procrastinate but never get around to it -Your knees buckle and your belt won’t -You look forward to a dull evening […]
“But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.” (1 Corinthians 7:7) Last week I wrote about marriage and mentioned that marriage might not be for everyone. Sometimes, in the church setting, life seems to revolve too much around married […]
A little shout out to my parents, today they celebrate 59 years of marriage. It’s a great accomplishment in a world that often questions the value of marriage. I always find it funny when I hear comments like ‘marriage is just a piece of paper.’ Those people haven’t really understood the nature and reality of […]
A young father was taking time to teach his son about what a Christian should be like. The kind of character and behavior they should show. The father got a stab that he never forgot when the brief talk was over. The little boy asked, “Dad, have I ever met one of these Christians?” Children […]
It wasn’t until I took driver’s education that I found out what a blind spot was. A blind spot is an area around your car that you can’t see by checking in your mirrors or looking ahead. You need to turn your head slightly to the left or right to make sure there is nothing […]
A preacher got himself in trouble last week over some comments on social media. His remarks were unwise and drew a lot of attention to him and his ministry. When people started looking at him a little closer, they discovered that his church had an attendance of about fifty people, but he referred to himself […]
As con games go, this is one for the books. Criminals set up a fake cricket league to scam gamblers in Russia. The hoax set up a false version of India’s Premier League and filmed bogus games in a farmer’s field in Gujarat. Local people were paid five dollars a game to masquerade as players […]
Years ago, there was a kind village dentist who passed away. As the family was sorting through his belongings, they discovered several bags of old teeth, filled or capped with gold. The man had often paid his patients for their old teeth and then put them away in a box. When someone has a tooth pulled, […]
3 Reminders for Back to Work or School For most of us, the summer vacation is over or at least coming to a close. September is often the beginning of a new season or new yearly cycle. Most of us find ourselves going back to work or back to school. As we do, here are […]
For the last three years, there has been a constant stream of construction in front of the building where our church meets. I thought the work was all to be finished in June of 2022, but apparently that only related to the tram lines. The tram lines are running again. There’s now a great new […]
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.” I love summertime in Canada, but hate those little mosquitoes. I can’t remember how many nights I have gotten up, turned on a light and searched for that single mosquito that was making my sleep miserable. […]
At some point in our lives, we all come to know a sense of lack. Some people grew up in homes where there was never enough food or money to go around. The sense of lack was significant. For others there was a lack of love or acceptance – no one ever seemed to care […]
About 20 years ago, we had one of our most memorable holidays with our kids. As we headed to the family cottage, we decide to stop for one night at a hotel that had a water park. Our girls would be able to swim and play for hours. Our son was just six months old, […]
Two psychiatrists worked in the same building. Each morning they rode the same elevator, one getting off on the 5th floor and the other getting off at the 9th. Every morning just as the first psychiatrist was about to get off the elevator, he would turn and spit in the face of the second psychiatrist. […]
Large companies and small businesses alike, spend significant amounts of money to protect their assets. Not only do companies need physical security but increasing money is spent on digital security. When you have something valuable, you need to protect it from danger. Our faith, as Christians, is precious and to be treasured. We are encouraged […]
The most important rite of passage for someone growing up in a small rural community in Canada was to get a driver’s license. As a teenager, it was an essential need for having a social life. The day I turned sixteen I was able to get a beginners’ permit. A week later I started a […]
Margret was 93 and living in a nursing home for seniors. She was worried about how much money she had and whether she could continue to live in the home. Her daughter, who had just turned 70, wanted to reassure her mother that everything would be fine. She sat down with her mother and the […]
Penny Smith didn’t care much for the low-income neighborhood that bordered on the back of her business property. As far as she and her husband were concerned the residents were a nuisance. There was always trash and beer bottles littering the back of her bookkeeping firm. So, a few years ago they put up a […]
A 2020 study from Premier Christian News in the UK found that Christians are less likely to pray than those from other faiths. Just 38 percent of Christians polled said that they regularly prayed. Among other faiths, 52 percent reported that they prayed on a regular basis. I was surprised to see the low level […]
Education is always a hot topic. Take the debate over whether children in 2021 need to learn cursive writing. For many people, this is an essential part of learning and expressing yourself. But in the 21st century, there are other ways to write things down. Kids today learn to type with a keyboard on a […]
The University of Basel was founded in 1460 with approval from the Pope. It originally offered studies in four areas – arts, medicine, law, and theology. The emergence of universities, like most education in the Western world, came from the church. There was a growing thirst for knowledge. Knowledge of God and his creation. Areas […]
There are troubling days when we search for answers and God seems to be silent. We pray and we call on him, but the heavens are still. Sometimes we get the impression from preachers and other Christians that there is a simple formula for getting answers to prayer. We have come to believe that we […]
Every morning two men, both psychiatrists, rode the same elevator in their office building at the same time. One of them would get off on the 5th floor and the other on the 9th. Everyone morning as the first psychiatrist was about to get off the elevator, he would turn and spit at the second […]
When I was a kid, growing up in church, there were a bunch of silly riddles we told each other. At the time, we thought they were hilarious but really, they are just bad puns. How many do you know? (Answers below) Which biblical character grew up without parents? How does Moses make his coffee […]
In this subtle way, envy and jealousy can creep into our souls, almost without detection.
Sometimes, we make it sound too easy to become a follower of Christ. In one sense, it is easy. We just come to him as we are because Christ will never turn anyone away who comes to him in repentance and humility.
We can’t handle all the information that comes our way each and every day. What we can and should do, is deal with what we have today. But we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves, there is no peace found in that.