This has been a crazy busy week. This morning I am packing and preparing for a teen program called “Feed the Kids.” Several local Churches take turns providing a meal for High School students once a week through the school year. We took a day in the fall and now a day in the spring. It is a great experience but it takes a lot of work. While I was running around this morning I have received a couple emails and a phone call that I will need to handle later.

This is what I have learned about myself in 20 plus years of ministry. I am not very pastoral before any big event, including Sundays. Let me be 100% honest – I do not handle people well before Church.

It happens almost every week. Someone comes in before Church and they have had a rough week and they want to talk. Or maybe they have even had a great week and they want to share. I am sad and I am happy for them … but I am a terrible pastor at that time. I listen halfheartedly. I give awful advice.

The reason is obvious, I am focused on what I have to say, what is going on at the sound booth, and how everything is flowing. I am distracted by the immediately event.

The flip side to this. I am a much better pastor after an event. Most weeks I stay at the Church for an hour to an hour and a half after the program is over. I talk, listen and share with great joy. Personally, I feel like I can be a pastor because the event it over and my mind is clear (usually).

I do not know if this is true for every pastor, but I know it is true for me. People seem to get frustrated with me because they have had something big happen through the week so they show up early to talk to me about it. Then I don’t have the time, so they leave right after worship when I do have the time. I am not sure if this happens to every pastor, but my guess is that it does.

So my advice for any Church member today is to remember that pastoral timing is everything. If you choose the right time to open up, I bet your pastor will handle it well. Don’t know what that time is? Then ask him, I bet he knows. Honestly, we all want to help each other … when the time is right.

Recently I have had two experiences with movies that have me thinking about context.

First – I recommended a movie that I really like to a couple. They watched it and did not enjoy it. I knew he would not be crazy about it, but she surprised me. As she explained her dislike of the movie I realized it had more to do with her training and occupational background than the story line.

Second – A movie was recommended to my wife and I. Last night we watched it. It was okay in my eyes. Then I thought about the guy who recommended it. It touched on a part of his life journey that I did not have in common with him or the movie.

This experience has me thinking about what I enjoy in life. Maybe the movies and books that I enjoy say far more about me than I would like to admit. I am attracted to stories that touch my life experience.

So I was thinking last night:

1. What do your entertainment choices say about you?

2. What could I learn about other people from the entertainment they choose?

Just some food for thought.

Jon Acuff over at Stuff Christians Like wrote a great article about second chances entitled “The Comma of Grace.”
Check it out HERE

Another blog posted this great link to a story of a 70 year marriage.

Read the whole story HERE

Recently I ran across this verse and it spoke to me in a way I had never noticed.

Exodus 13:17 (NIV) When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

God is leading Moses and the Israelites out of their Egyptian captivity to the promise land. There was a short and more direct route through the Philistine country to their destination. And yet, God does not lead them that way. God knew that if the children of Israel had to go to battle immediately they would give up their journey and return discouraged to Egypt.

The rest of this story is even more interesting to me. Instead of going through the Philistine country God leads them to the Red Sea. All the while the Egyptians are coming up fast behind them. God then parts the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to flee and in turn destroying the Egyptians.

So catch this, God leads his people the long way out of captivity to a dead-end street so that he could do a mighty work in their lives. I don’t know about you, but I find this greatly encouraging. Many times I have found my life on a path that was not very direct (maybe all the time). Often I have found myself heading in a direction that seemed like a dead-end. There is no counting how often I have asked, “God, what are you doing?”

The reality is – God often uses indirect paths and dead-ends to accomplish his will in our lives. Sometimes our second chance story is simply God leading us through the desert so that we do not get discouraged in Philistine country.

Today I raise my voice and shout out something that has bothered me for years and years. I hate that the resurrection of Jesus is largely forgotten the day after we celebrate Easter. I hate that the Church stops talking about Jesus’ resurrection until Easter season next year.

Today I have looked at about 50 blog posts so far. The only mention of Easter by any of them was to address how Churches should follow-up with guests that came on Easter Sunday. Most of them are off writing about the next big thing. In fact, several emails came to my inbox today about how my Church can plan or I can preach on Mother’s Day. Easter quickly fades into yesterday and we will talk about it again this time next year. Hope to see you then.

I have tried for years to fight against this type of thinking. I didn’t this year (This year Easter was in the middle of a sermon series on Jesus), but in many previous years I have started a sermon series on Easter. I have preached on “Resurrection Living” and included the topic of resurrection events, friends, meals and hopes. I have preached a series called “Open” and I talked about an open tomb that in turn will open hearts and minds. I have preached on “Resurrection Power” and “The Transformation of the Resurrection.” Usually I preach a two to four week sermon series about the resurrection of Jesus because I want to make it the center of our understanding of Jesus and the Church.

Think about it Biblically. When Jesus resurrected, the disciples did not know about it till late Sunday evening. (I wonder if they slept that night) Thomas will not believe it for another week! It took forty days for Jesus to show himself and to teach before he ascended. Now, we celebrate for an hour or two on Sunday morning before we head off to a family gathering with ham or some other type of pork product.

So today I just want to raise my voice and say, “Don’t let the Resurrection of Jesus fade with the season.” Keep it in the front of your thinking as a believer. It validates the cross, it affirms Jesus’ message, it demonstrates the power of God, it gives us a living hope and it is the defining event of Christianity. Don’t forget. Don’t ever forget.

He is Risen Indeed!!

Today is the day in the Christian calendar and the Holy Week that we call “Good Friday.” This is the day we remember Jesus death on the cross. This is the day we remember the great sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.

My school system takes the day off and I am not going to the office. This might not be true for you, but I hope you set aside a few minutes today to remember the cross.

The good news is “It’s Friday … but Sunday’s coming.”

Today is the time in the Holy Week leading up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday that we celebrate Maundy Thursday. In some traditions it is called Holy Thursday. It commemorates the final night of Jesus life before he goes to the cross. It is the night in which he washes the disciples feet and institutes what we call the Last Supper or the Lord’s Supper.

In some countries today is a public holiday, but not in America. Some Churches have special programs today, but mine does not. I still hope that at some point through this day you will pause and think about Jesus words.

Matthew 26:26-29 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
(27) Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. (28) This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (2)9 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Since moving to Alaska 5 years ago Easter week has been a different experience for me. You see, I grew up in a Church where Easter was a really big deal. People dressed up for Easter (I often got new clothes), we had special programs with special music and attendance that day was the highest of the year.

Later, I would enter the preaching ministry and the Easter experience was much the same. It was still a highlight in the Christian calendar. Then, I moved to Alaska and Easter is not a very big deal at all. In fact, this week I expect attendance to be right on average and I only have a special song and video to enhance the program. Most people will not purchase new clothes for the day and only a couple will dress up. Easter is just like every other Sunday in the year.

I think this is true in Alaska for a couple reasons. First, Easter is still part of winter here. Spring is coming but several families will still be down below where it is warm. Second, some people will travel to see their families who live outside of Alaska for Easter (or somewhere else in the state). Third, the jobs here in Homer are unique. People are off fishing or working up on the north slope or doing one of a dozen things that do not stop for any holiday let alone Easter.

I say all this because over the last few years I have had to adjust my thinking about Easter. At first I was upset, then I was disappointed, next I tried hard to change it and finally I am beginning to accept it. Here is why I have slowly become okay with Easter not being a very big holiday.

1. No where in scripture are we told to have a holiday for the resurrection of Jesus. No where! The early Church decided to meet on the first day of the week, we believe, because that was the day of the week Christ was resurrected. If that is true (and I think it is) then we celebrate the resurrection of Christ every time we meet on Sunday.

2. I am part of a group of Churches that take communion every week. The early Church broke bread when they were together to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross AND that the resurrection demonstrates that God accepted that as payment for my sin. Every week we remember the cross and the resurrection of Jesus at the table.

3. Every week we sing songs about a victorious, risen Lord. Reading through many of the songs we sing (both chorus’ and hymns) I find a line about the cross and often a statement about his resurrection.

Here is my point. I have had to re-learn that EVERY WEEK we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – not just once a year. For many people Easter is not a special day, but every Sunday is … and I am okay with that.