A Christ-follower with a limp

Sunday, September 3, 2023

The First 35 Years!

“Our privilege is twofold. We have an amazing task,

and we get it to do it among people we get to love.” Daryl Dash

It’s been a year of anniversaries for me. In May I was honored for twenty years of service as the chaplain of the Burlington Police Department. Then, on July 2^nd our church family joined Jane and me as we celebrated 40 years of marriage and this weekend marks 35 years as your pastor.
Little did Jane and I realize that as we moved our family from Detroit that we would some day be celebrating 35 years as your pastor in Burlington. We were in the midst of assisting a new church plant on the northwest side of the Detroit suburbs when God called us here. They celebrated their launch of their first Sunday on our first Sunday in Burlington.
No doubt you have heard the old saying, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.” Wisconsin was not our first choice of places to minister. Jane and I had both gone to school in Watertown and the college we attended sadly had an adversarial relationship with the community. Then, most of our family and friends lived in Michigan. We thought that we might serve the Lord in Wisconsin for five or so years and then head back to Michigan…and an opportunity did arise, but I turned it down. It just didn’t seem like it was God’s will.
Today this is our home. You are our family. This is our community (please, just don’t demand that we be Packer fans).
Looking back. Burlington was the smallest town either of us have lived in. In 1988, the city didn’t have a traffic light. I quickly realized how small the city was when I opened a bank account the next morning after we moved in at what was then “the Bank of Burlington.” The woman at the front desk greeted me with, “You’re the minister who moved in last night.”
Yet I look back with gratitude at the faith and hope of those 30 some people who called us to come. The church had recently gone through some deep waters. That small group had discussed closing, but they persevered. They didn’t just talk about making changes, as so many churches do, they truly wanted change. They were cognizant that it was change or die…and so we did.
They weren’t astronomical changes. Most were incremental. Many times, we fail to realize that as each of us needs to grow spiritually, churches too must grow spiritually…and pastors must grow spiritually. My approach and philosophy of ministry today is very different from my approach to ministry in 1988. God was going to work on my heart.
Funerals are the dark valley of being a pastor. God was so gracious to me in my first one at our church. It was for a dear old saint, Bess Norum, who was 95-years young. Bess was a firecracker and had sung in the choir for Evangelist Billy Sunday’s crusades and Bess was ready to go Home. It helped prepare me for my next funeral of a young mother who was a cancer victim and left behind a husband and two young children.
In thirty-five years, there are thousands of memories. Yet, as I look back, I continually marvel at the faith of our church family. They trusted the Lord. They trusted Him to work through our leadership. There were some big challenges and some deep waters, but they remained faithful. We changed our philosophy of ministry from internally focused to externally focused, our music, our version of Scripture, even our location to our present building. Those are radical changes for a church. Many a church has died because they refused to grow and change. We are here today because of their faith in God and perseverance.
Looking at the present. The most dangerous place for a believer is to become satisfied and think that they’ve arrived. It’s even more dangerous for a church. Too many churches rest on the victories of yesterday.
I’m so thankful that our church has a holy sense of discontent. There is a passion to continue to grow in grace and to reach our community with the gospel. Most churches talk about reaching their community but have internal barriers that hinder it like cliquishness, pettiness, legalism, liberalism or politicalization.
Currently, most churches grow either through children in the church coming to Christ or believers from another area church transferring in, not through outreach. At Grace, we’re thankful for children who come to faith, yet hold that we’re co-laborers with other churches not competitors. Our mission field is our community and those who have not yet met our Savior.
I feel so blessed to systematically work our way through Scripture with you so that we grow in our understanding and application of His truth to our lives. This is our family! It’s a privilege to pray for each of you and to share your needs and burdens with the Father. I am so thankful that our church is growing in its understanding that our church is not a “business,” it’s a family of redeemed brothers and sisters. That means that we’re not clones. Our differences become building blocks of unity and spiritual growth. Today our church is made up of those from varied walks of life, marital situations, and economic levels. Committed discipleship is one of our goals as we continue to move forward together.
What’s ahead? Personally, I’m thankful that I don’t know. Retirement is not in our plans. We still have a fiery passion to take new ground and reach more folk for His glory! We don’t want to coast or be satisfied with the status quo. We want to invest and be part of raising up the next generation to love Jesus and reach our community for the glory of God.
Yet, there comes a time to step away. Most pastors leave too soon, some though stay too long. Jane and I want to be sensitive that we are helping you move forward into becoming more like Jesus. All of us need to be cognizant of the fragility of life and good health. Experience has taught us that one’s health situation can change quickly. We never want to get in the way of God’s plans or what He’s doing. Afterall, it’s His church.
One of our next steps is to continue with our master plan and build a children’s wing. We want to plan for the future and next generation. This church is not about us, it’s Him and them.
Jane and I look forward to one day going Home. Yet we know that we are so blessed to have had a taste of heaven for the past 35 years of serving Him by serving you, our Grace Church family! All I can say is: Thank you for being so good to us! We love you so much!!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Monday, August 28, 2023

Is Judgement Coming?

“The Lord waits so long in His graciousness

that people think He cannot judge…” Iain Duguid

In his book about the Old Testament book of Daniel, Thriving in Babylon, Larry Osborne shares an illustration that caught my attention. He writes:
“It was the end of a long day. We were all tired and hungry. My wife, kids, and I settled into the restaurant booth and looked over the menu. We placed our order and soon began to eat. Then it happened. The kids snapped. One took a couple of French fries off his brother’s plate. That merited a quick shove, which warranted a return push, a loud yelp, and flailing arms. In a matter of seconds, Coke was spilled everywhere. Then the third one started to cry. As a dad, I knew what I had to do. I jumped out of the booth and dragged them outside. I gave the boys a quick and controlled swat to the seat of learning and a stern lecture, and then I informed them that their behavior was unacceptable. They’d blown their opportunity to eat. There would be no more food tonight and maybe not in the morning either. The fighting stopped. We went back into the restaurant. I figured I’d done my dad duty…that was until the cops arrived. They pulled me aside, questioned me, and then they placed me under arrest. I spent the night in jail.
You see, the kids weren’t mine. They were seated two booths over. Apparently, you’re not allowed to discipline someone else’s kids.”
Osborne continues, “Now before you stop reading, wondering what kind of jerk I am. I need to let you know that this event never really happened. I can assure you if anything close to it had occurred, my wife would have killed me long before the police arrived. But it illustrates an important point: A father disciplines his own kids, not someone else’s.”
He makes a powerful point; one the Church and Christians desperately need to hear. As believers, we see the growing debauchery in this world. Just when it seems that it can’t get any worse, it does. As I look at the spiritual decay of our culture, that warning by Isaiah comes to mind: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (5:20).
  When we see evil growing, we forget that God the Father disciplines those who are His children first. His correction always begins with those He calls His own. It was true of ancient Israel and it’s true of the Church today. As 1 Peter 4:17 states, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
Beginning in Genesis we know that Israel was God’s chosen people. He made a covenant with them and gave them the Promised Land. But when they blew off His covenant and worshiped idols, God judged and punished them. God used some of the most wicked nations of that day, Assyria, and Babylon to take Israel into captivity. These were some of the evilest nations in all of history. Yet, God gave Israel another chance and brought them home to the Land but then they rejected His Son and crucified Jesus, so He punished His people again. Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 73 A.D.
  Can we truly expect the Lord Jesus to let His Bride, the Church, be unfaithful to Him? In modern times we’ve seen the Church in Germany judged by God. Theological liberalism was born in Germany. By the mid-1900’s the German Church had become the Nazi Church. One of the German Church’s leaders, Gerhard Hahn, wrote: “The cross of Christ and the swastika do not need to oppose each other, and must not do so, but rather they can and should stand together. One should not dominate the other, but rather each should maintain its own meaning and significance. The cross of Christ points toward heaven and admonishes us: Remember that you are Christian people, carried by the eternal love of the heavenly father, free through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, sanctified by the power of God’s spirit. The swastika, however, points to the world as a divine creation and admonishes us: Remember that you are German, born in German territory to parents of German blood, filled with the German spirit and essence, formed according to German nature…Remember that you are German Christian people and should become ever more whole German Christian people, and remain so!” Judgement began with Christ’s Church.
Jesus has called His Church to obey Him, to live according to His blueprint as outlined in Scripture. But most churches in Western Civilization rarely open the Bible. It’s an icon with little relevance for what the Church believes or how it functions.
The New Testament is clear, Christians are to be more than Sunday church attenders. New life in Christ is to revolutionize our lives from the inside out. Our lives are to be so different (not perfect) that we shouldn’t have to tell those who know us – at work, in our neighborhoods and community that we’re Christ-followers. Our marriages, families, work ethic, our care for others should distinguish us as it did those first believers that “we have been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). When we blow it, which we will because we’re sinners saved by grace, we don’t make excuses but own it, repenting and seeking anew to live in a way that honors our Lord.
The Lord Jesus gave His Church a mission before He ascended into Heaven. We are to live as He commanded and share the gospel in our world, making new disciples. What a tragedy that the average gospel-preaching church is little more than a “religious social club” with little concern for the Christless and hopeless outside of its doors.
While we can’t change the Church, we can change our church. We can commit as a church family that we’ll be transformed from the inside out, reaching out to our community with His love and message of grace.
Judgement is coming. Like ancient Israel, Christ will judge His own first. By His grace let’s be faithful together as His church seeking to please Him!

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Truth or Consequences

“The teaching of a false prophet cannot withstand scrutiny under the divine light of Scripture.” John MacArthur

It’s a case that’s scandalized Kenya and has thrown a global spotlight on the too often deadly consequences of bogus religious teaching. Please don’t think it’s just the 3^rd world. It seems nearly every year there are sincere people following a false teacher that can result in deadly consequences.
This time the preacher was prominent Kenyan televangelist, Ezekiel Odero, who described himself as “God’s chosen one.” Last April authorities arrested Odero along with another prominent pastor, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, after finding more than 100 dead or starving people on Mackenzie’s property. Mackenzie, the founder of Good News International Ministries, had asked his followers to fast until they died and met Jesus. Prosecutors linked the two charlatans as business associates who led their followers in some cases even fatally astray.
More than 85% of Kenya’s population is “Christian.” Ministers, like Odero in a country where poverty is widespread, prey on the desire for health and wealth. Those in dire poverty are easily victimized by charlatans promising “God’s relief.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns us, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” While most false teaching doesn’t have such dire consequences, it’s still spiritually deadly. How can we protect ourselves from it?
We must test everything by the standard of Scripture. False teachers like to use phrasing “God told me.” Or “I have a word from the Lord.” They use this as a cover because if God is saying something, how can you question it? But you can question it and are encouraged to in the Bible. God’s Word is always the yardstick. At Grace, we believe in Sola Scriptura. That simply means the Bible is the only infallible source of authority for our faith and practice.
In the book of Acts the “the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). The Bereans were being taught by the Apostle Paul himself, yet they didn’t take what even an apostle taught at face value. They examined the Scriptures to see if what he said was accurate and true.
That should be done with whatever is taught that claims to be God’s message. Every sermon, lecture or a claim of divine knowledge must be measured by what the Bible says to determine if it’s true.
Don’t be intimidated by someone’s celebrity status or the size of their platform. In social media there’s something known as “social proof.” It’s the idea that if many people like it, it validates the person or what they’re saying. That doesn’t work for biblical truth. Just because the one saying it has a large following, it doesn’t mean that what they’re saying is true.
Sometimes the bigger the platform gets the less people want to tell the truth because they’re worried about losing fans or financial support. As a result, they may be tempted to say what they believe their followers want to hear so they’ll keep coming back. The size of the following is not a validation that the message is true. It often only means that the message is popular. Popularity and truth rarely go hand in hand.
Study God’s Word personally and be a part of a community of believers committed to faithfully studying God’s Word. The most important words when dealing with any teaching is to ask, “What does the Bible say?” When we read a book, even from a trustworthy source, we must ask that question. When we listen to a sermon or someone teaching a group, we need to do that. Even when we read books, blogs, tweets and other things, it’s the question we must ask. And when we do this, when we’re committed with the help of the Holy Spirit to seek to understand the Scriptures to the best of our ability, and when we hold all teaching—even good teaching—up to the light of God’s Word, there’s no place for false teaching to hide.
There is safety too in a community of committed believers. All of us have preconceptions and prejudices. Partnering and studying with those who love God and His Word help protect all of us.
Half-truth is one of Satan’s most dangerous weapons. A tragic example is – Does God want us to be moral and “good” people? Does He want us to obey the Ten Commandments and other commandments in Scripture? Yes! But will that gain us God’s forgiveness and entry into heaven? No, it’s not what the Bible teaches. It’s a half truth. We’re to seek to live as good people and obey God’s Word because we’ve been forgiven and committed our lives to Christ but not to gain points with God or entry into heaven. We do it because we’re His children not to become His children.
As Martin Luther said, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God.” Just this half-truth has led many to believe that if they’re relatively good, attend church, have been baptized, do nice things or give away lots of money, etc., then they’re on their way to heaven. But it’s not what the Bible teaches. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
If we could be “good” enough for heaven, would God have sacrificed His Son Jesus on the cross to pay our sin debt? Yet Satan loves half-truths. Tragically, many will go into a Christless eternity because they believed that lie and didn’t check God’s Word for themselves. There’s only one yardstick for spiritual truth – God’s Word. Please use the right measure of truth, not just what someone says is the “truth” because believing a lie could kill you. Be like those Bereans. Check it out for yourself!

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Friends are Stars

“One cannot always choose his vocation or surroundings in the world but one can choose his friends.” Clarence Macartney

Do you love looking up and seeing the night sky filled with stars? All night long we can see the stars shining down on us. It’s easy to forget because we can’t see them that those same stars also shine down on us all day. It’s not like they adjust the brightness of their burning to our sleep cycles. They shine on, always the same, always contributing something to our light. The big difference for us is just that one local star, our sun, which comes around each morning and shines so brightly that the light of all the other billions of stars in the universe can’t compete at all.
Scientists tell us that our sun is not a large star, as stars go. It’s bigger than some, but there are many stars far bigger than it is—some of them more than 100 times larger. But those super-massive balls of burning light only look like tiny pinpricks in the sky to us. They’re easily drowned out by our average local fireball whenever it comes around.
It’s not the size of the star that matters most, from our perspective: It’s the proximity. Those huge suns truly are huge, but they’re too far away to keep us warm. They’re too distant to pull us in and shape our calendars and seasons. They’re too far removed to fill the face of our moon with reflected light at night. It turns out that what we need down here is not a good view of the biggest star in the universe. What we need is just an average sun to be near enough to us to give us warmth and light and life.
Isn’t this true of our relationships as well? The most popular “star” to see in concert this year is Taylor Swift. Her concerts sold 2.4 million tickets on the first day that they went on sale, breaking the single-day record. The average cost for a ticket is $1600.00. Taylor Swift’s concert tour has its own subculture, with fans dressing up as very specific moments in her music career and trading friendship bracelets featuring insider acronyms and jokes only true Swifties can decode.
We tend to be mesmerized by human stars and look up in wonder at the shimmering brightness of music stars, film stars, sports stars, and so on (there are a lot of stars). Yet no matter how brightly these human stars shine for us, there will always be important things that their far away light can’t do for us. It’s not really their fault. They’re just too far away.
This is why an average, ordinary friend who is next to you can bring warmth and light to your life in ways that no star influencer ever could. This close proximity is how a brother or sister in Christ can light up our darkest nights like a moon, reflecting back to us the light of God’s goodness and promises even when we’ve lost sight of them. A far away human star, no matter how bright they may be, simply can’t do the simple, vital, life-giving things that are easy for the ordinary people around us—the people who love us and share life with us. The people who are close.
Proximity then is more important than size. It’s more important than magnificence. You don’t have to be the biggest and brightest in the universe to bring warmth and light to those around you. You can be merely average, like our sun, and do the job quite well.
Most of us though are more concerned about having friends than being one. It’s amazing though that when you work at being a friend, God also blesses you with friends.
So how can you and I bring warmth into someone’s life? We must first understand that true friends are built. You don’t make them overnight. Friendships are not toadstools; they’re oak trees. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). That’s how friendships begin – you begin by loving with God’s love. Let me share though some key principles that will help make you a great friend.
Accept. Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times.” We discover that the best friendships are those who know and accept our weaknesses and imperfections. If we’re easily offended or hold on to wounds or bitterness, we’ll have difficulty keeping friends. Friends don’t keep score. No one is perfect. We all sin. If we take an honest look at ourselves, we’ll admit that we bear some of the blame when things go wrong in a friendship. A good friend is quick to ask forgiveness and ready to be forgiving.
Acknowledge. Recognize people. Give them your full heart and attention. When you talk to people, listen to them. Ask follow-up questions. Put away your phone. Look them in the eye. The impact of time spent with people can’t be overestimated. Understand that people are important. They’re a soul for whom Christ died. As we acknowledge others, we’re saying, “You're important to me. I acknowledge your importance.”
Appreciate. Think about a time when a friend appreciated you and how good it felt to hear that they were grateful for your presence in their life. Often, we wait too late to appreciate our friends. Scottish writer, Thomas Carlyle, lived on a farm in Dumfriesshire, which he called “the loneliest nook in Britain.” Each day he climbed a ladder to his attic, where he worked until dark. His devoted wife Jane was left alone. One evening at dinner, Jane asked why he’d never expressed appreciation for the food she lovingly prepared for him. “Woman,” Carlyle barked, “must you be paid for everything you do?” With that, he stamped off to his attic workshop.
Years later after his wife died, Carlyle found her diary. On tear-stained pages, he read this recurring refrain, “Oh, I wish you would say a kind word or give me a compliment now and then about the things I try to do to make you happy.”
Assure. Assure your friend that you understand. All of us want empathy. Find ways to let your friend know that you’re aware of what they feel and what they're going through. Assure them that you're there, and to your limited ability, are seeking to understand what they're going through.
Can you imagine our world without the light of the sun? Someone without friends is living in the dark. But friendship is costly. You must invest in it to keep it healthy. Finding a true friend and being one in return is a way to be Jesus’ light in someone’s life and sharing the light of your life in theirs.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Was Jason Aldean right or wrong?

“Thinking Christianly is thinking by Christians about anything and everything in a consistently Christian way – in a manner that is shaped, directed, and restrained by the truth of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.” Os Guinness

We live in a culture where Christians are continually pressured to choose sides, yet for the Bible-believer there is only one right side – Jesus Christ’s. Thus, when something hits the cultural landscape, Christ-followers must step back from the fray and first ask: What does God’s Word teach? What are the scriptural principles that would apply here?
A biblical worldview must come always before being red or blue, or any other division…even before family. Yet because the pressure is to conform and fit in with a group, seeing life with that worldview, it will often mean we’re unpopular and even irritate those who are loyal to a certain “group.” But we have no options. King Jesus must reign supreme in our loyalty and thinking. Our first group then is family, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The issues at stake are often complex. They require God’s wisdom and serious contemplation. That came to my mind as I watched sides being taken over the song by Jason Aldean, “Try that in a small town.” While you don’t have to agree with me, if you’re a Christ-follower please take time to think through cultural issues biblically. Here’s what I think…
First, Aldean is right in that large cities are places of increased crime and violence. All of his examples are from more recent times. Yet from the dawn of time cities have been places of violence and debauchery.
After Cain murdered his brother, Abel, in Genesis 4, though he was cursed by God to be “a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12), one of Cain’s first acts in his continued rebellion against God was to build a city which quickly devolved into a place of growing violence and evil as recorded in the succeeding chapters of Genesis.
Those who live in cities are not more or less moral than those who live in rural areas or small towns. One of the major differences is accountability in crime and violence. In a city where there is an increased population there is anonymity. If you think that you have less chance of ever getting caught, you’re more likely to take a risk and make an evil choice.
Hollywood knows this. It’s rare to have a popular crime show that takes place in a rural area or small town. Part of the mystery is peeling back the layers of anonymity of a larger population to find the guilty perpetrator.
It’s why the Church must see, as Tim Keller exhorted us, cities as needy mission fields in need of church plants. The early church radically transformed their culture because they focused on urban areas where it wasn’t safe and evangelism often met resistance and persecution. Yet the Church today has too often abandoned our cities. It’s why I appreciate Moody Church in Chicago and Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis. They’re serving in the heart of their cities and seeking to make a difference.
God never called Christians to be safe. Like the early church, believers run in when everyone else runs out. The light shines brightest where it is darkest. Our own country’s “War on Poverty” proves that education, jobs, and housing are not the solution to societal change.
Second, Aldean is right that small towns are wonderful…if you’re like nearly everyone else. Small towns are welcoming unless you’re different. Twice in my life I’ve been the minority in a community. In my formative years, ours was one of a few Caucasian families in our neighborhood in Atlanta. In Odessa, Texas, I learned for the first time I was an “Anglo.”
If you want a small taste of what it’s like to be different, wear a Chicago Bears sweatshirt in Green Bay when the Bears aren’t playing the Packers and you stick out. When I worked in commercial roofing, we often did projects in very small towns where there might be only one place to grab lunch. Everyone knew that you were not a local.
Imagine what it’s like for someone from a minority ethnic group to live where another ethnic group is the majority. If you adopt a child or marry someone not from the majority group, you’ll often receive stares or ignorant comments. We, humans, like people like us and often disdain or even show outright bigotry to those who are different.
As Christians, we’re to be distinctly different. It is level ground at the foot of the cross. There are no differences in our universal need to be rescued from ourselves and from sin. God’s Word rebukes manmade groupings and divisions that are sometimes found even among believers.
Many years ago African-American pastor, Tony Evans, horrified some in his audience at a Promise Keepers’ Rally when he said, “Some of you would be more bothered if your white daughter married a black man than if she married an unbeliever.” Christ-followers have more in common with believers from any other group than with those who don’t know Jesus even if they’re from our own “group” whether it’s racial, economic or political.
Finally, Aldean is dead wrong by assuming some are “raised right.” It’s relativistic moralism. It categorizes sin as little and big. The Bible doesn’t give us that option. For example, my Grandfather was a moonshiner and an adulterer yet was from a small town of probably less than 1,000.
Are some sins worse than others? It’s what the song is suggesting. It’s not true. Adam and Eve lost Eden because they disobeyed God’s one command in eating the forbidden fruit. Aldean himself committed adultery before divorcing his first wife and marrying the woman he’d had an affair with. Is that what it means to be “raised right?” The Bible teaches that no one has been raised right (Romans 3:23).
We may be raised to live according to what’s acceptable in our culture. But just because it’s accepted, it doesn’t mean it’s right. According to God’s Word, we’re all a big mess.
I see the worst sinner I know each morning when I look in the mirror, and so do you. It’s why we all desperately need a Savior and someone to pay our sin debt. As the angel told Joseph, His name is Jesus “for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Thoughtfulness Makes All the Difference

“Life is not so short but that there is always

time enough for courtesy.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Okay, it was a full-blown “Oops!” Yet, I don’t believe I was really to blame. Besides, it’s not my practice to yell at cute girls when a wedding is taking place. The cute girl was (I hope you guessed this) Jane. It was right outside the Mercantile Hall where my office is in the basement. I’d just parked and Jane was coming out of Trendsetters after having her hair cut. I saw her and yelled across the street, “Hey Cutie, want to go to lunch?”
I believe it was a Wednesday afternoon. I happened to look over my shoulder and fifteen feet away from me in the courtyard of Mercantile Hall with everyone facing me and the officiant with his back to me, a wedding was taking place. Oops! I’ve since encouraged the Mercantile to have weddings face the opposite direction so that the officiant is the only one seeing what’s taking place on the street, especially if men are loudly flirting with their wives. It was an innocent mistake and I am trying to be more careful.
Being considerate makes a big difference in relationships. It’s easy though, the longer you’re married, to forget basic thoughtfulness. The same thing can happen in a church family. Periodically, we need reminders to help make it better for everyone. Let me suggest a few…
Come a little early and linger a bit afterwards. Currently, we’re studying the One Another statements in the New Testament. It’s hard to live these out when you rush in, come late, or rush out. We designed our Charis Coffee Café to encourage conversations with others. So whether you sit in the Café or take your coffee in the gym, please engage in conversation with others. Use it as an opportunity to converse with those you either don’t know or don’t know well. Use it as an opportunity to pray that the Lord will use the service to work in your heart and the hearts of others. Pray for those involved in leading the worship, the AV Team, greeters, ushers, etc. Pray for me as I share God’s Word, that the message will be clear and God will use it in lives. After the service take time to interact with those around you and see how they are doing. If they’re struggling with something or need encouragement, encourage them or pray with them.
If the 1^st service is still taking place and you arrive before it’s finished, please refrain from loud conversations while waiting. For security reasons, we now have an usher in the Café during each service. Though they’re sitting there, they’re seeking to listen and participate in the service. Then, sometimes someone is not feeling well or a parent with a young child will sit out there to listen to the service so their child won’t disturb others in the congregation. Please be thoughtful of them so they can listen to the service, even if you arrive early. Also, when the five-minute countdown begins for the service, come into the service. For some reason, every church struggles with a “foyer crowd,” i.e. those who come to worship but never quite end up coming into the worship service. We can set an example for others by being actively involved in worship as soon as we’re able and not linger in the cafe once the countdown has begun.
Consider leaving your phone in your car. Unless you use a Bible app to look up Scripture, ask yourself, “Do I really need my phone in the service?” Be unleashed from the technological tether! If you find that you’re tempted to check social media, leave it in the car. At least, have it silenced. And is there really a reason for a young person to have a phone at church? Parents pay for a phone so they can get in touch with them BUT if you’re sitting in the service with them…
Leave the back rows for families with children or late arrivals. For some reason in American culture, we want to sit in the front row at sporting events or concerts but in the back one at church. Does that make sense? It will help you listen better and those on the platform communicate better if people sit toward the front. Families with kids know that kids often act like kids, so they sit toward the back to avoid disturbing others. Then, sometimes someone is delayed or new to the church and arrives late. At Grace, we want to be thoughtful of newcomers and not make them do the “walk of shame” to sit at the front because those are the only seats left.
If it will be a blessing or encourage someone say it BUT if it really doesn’t need to be said… The One Another commands urge us to encourage, greet and pray for each other. Each Sunday, please look for opportunities to minister to others, and to touch their lives.
Yet we know we’re all sinners saved by grace and human. We make mistakes. You’ll find them in printed materials or with a musical note or who knows? Some have difficulty not pointing them out. Please don’t. Unless it truly makes a difference, like someone is in danger or it’s serious, let it go.
Also about the only heated discussion at Grace should be between Bears and Packer fans. At Grace. we simply do not talk about politics. No one is going to heaven because of who they voted for. Politics divide and alienate. We want to build bridges, not put up any cultural barriers to the gospel.
Leave your space ready for whoever is following you. We have two services. Before you leave, please pick up papers around you, straighten Bibles and the pen in the chair pocket. If you’re having a group activity, please make sure tables and chairs are put back, counters wiped and trashcans emptied. Our building is used nearly 24/7. Please be sure things are ready for those coming after you. Pick up trash in the parking lot or in the landscaping or even on the floor of the bathroom. Take a paper towel and wipe up the water on the bathroom counter. Someone is always coming after us. Let’s leave it ready for them.
Come anticipating worshiping our Savior together! Sunday is the only time our church family sings together, prays together, studies God’s Word together, and focuses on eternity together. Each Sunday let’s pray and seek to have a bigger view of our awesome God and the real world, eternity!

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Who are YOU Imitating?

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” Herman Melville

Harvard psychiatrist, William Betcher, in his book, Intimate Play: Creating Romance in Everyday Life shares the life of one married couple.
“Jean has a tendency to be bossy, a trait she picked up from her dad, Harold. She can’t help telling people how to do things. When her old boyfriend would confront her on her bossiness, she would inevitably get defensive and argumentative, even though deep down she knew it was true. One of the first things she noticed in her relationship with John, to whom she is now married, was that he handled the situation quite differently.
She can still remember the first time she tried to tell him how to go about something: John was helping her cook a meal…peeling the carrots. Jean decided that he was doing the job all wrong and started to tell him how he should do it. John turned to her and leaned back against the counter with a sort of whimsical, knowing look on his face, and said, “Yes, Harold.” He drew the words out and said them in an exaggerated, joking way. Jean thought this lighthearted reference to the origin of her bossiness was very funny. Instead of getting defensive, she…began to imitate her father all the more—putting on his accent to look out over a pair of eyeglasses as her father often did…
Since then. John’s expression, “Yes, Harold,” has become a signal to Jean that she is tending to become bossy, a characteristic that has greatly decreased since it has been addressed in a non-threatening way.”
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Jean was imitating her father. We all do that, usually without even knowing it. Sometimes when I meet someone’s Dad or Mom, I can see where their adult child learned certain behaviors or mannerisms. For example, my Dad was very outgoing. It’s a trait that nearly all of his five children have. Shyness is not part of our makeup.
As you read the Gospels, you’ll find Jesus instructs us with “Follow Me” 13 times. Obviously, He’s not talking about His literal path or footsteps. Jesus is saying follow His life, imitate Him.
Following Jesus is not limited to passively believing in Him. It’s by observing through Scripture how He thought, how He responded to various situations of His life, and then intently and attentively by the power of the Holy Spirit, imitate His example – behavior, thinking, values, speech, etc.. Only then will we be able to live like Jesus, living out His life and godliness. Following Jesus and growing to be like Him is a lifetime pursuit. It takes patience and perseverance on our part along with lots of faith in Him and His never-failing grace.
All of us are following someone. All of us are imitating someone. So who are you following? Who are you imitating? How can we discover that?
Check what you see. How do you look at the world? Do you see this life the way that Jesus does? Jesus took time to notice people. He had a habit of it. One of the remarkable things about Jesus is that He could be surrounded by a crowd and yet single someone out who needed special attention.
What do we see? Opportunities to promote ourselves. Have you ever been talking to someone who’s climbing the ladder of popularity and they’re looking beyond you to see if they notice someone with more power or influence? Jesus saw the ones that far too many of us would overlook.
Are you in the habit of noticing people? I hope I don’t miss seeing people because I’m checking my phone or off in my own self-focus. One day we will have to give an account to God and explain why we didn’t notice people who were there because we were busy noticing people who were not there. Let’s keep our eyes open so we really notice people.
Check what you hear. One of my favorite parables is the one of the Good Shepherd (John 10 & Luke 15). What I love about the story in Luke 15 is that the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to search for the one lost sheep. I know that at one time I was that lost sheep. I believe the Shepherd listened before he looked. He listened to the bleats and cries of the lost lamb. Jesus lived out James 1:19, “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak.”
Too many of us if we stopped to listen would only hear our own voices because we’re always talking. We’re sharing our views, opinions and perspectives. Often we’re pontificating like we’re the authority. Listening is a lost art. Our world is very noisy. To truly listen, you must focus.
Have you ever thought about this? Jesus is the greatest listener. It’s why we pray. We’re confident that He listens. How about us? Are we listeners?
Check your history. What does your calendar show about who you are following and what you value? How do you spend your time? Who do you socialize with? Who are your friends?
How about your purchase history? What does the way that you use your money say about who and what you are following?
What about your internet history? If you looked at your recent posts, what did you want to share with the world? What did you take an interest in?
Most of us can easily analyze what we care about most just by pulling up our calendars, social feeds or credit card statements. They make a powerful statement about who and what we are following.
Acts 4:13 continually challenges my heart and life. It tells a lot about who you’re following and imitating. Peter and John were being interrogated by the Jewish leaders and they made a powerful observation: they knew they had been with Jesus. Even their enemies knew who they were following and who they were imitating.
We wonder why Christians have so little influence in today’s world. Acts 4:13 has the answer. Because you can be around Jesus and yet not be with Him. It’s more than knowledge or a few prayers. It’s more than religion as a hobby. Those early Christians turned the world upside down because they had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. They weren’t imitating some Harold. They were imitating Jesus Christ. He was their everything. All of us imitate someone. Who are you imitating? Who are you following?