About Spray Foam

I was with our church staff and intercessors this morning in the prayer room where we were...praying. There was a CD playing in the background of classical worship music, much in the vein of Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. It was heavenly! It led me to think about two incredible word pictures of the singing and worship in heaven by heavenly creatures. We see the following from an Old Testament passage in the book of Isaiah:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs [a being among the highest order of attendants of the Lord], each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:1-3 NIV

What a sight that must be in heaven! There is a companion passage in the New Testament that reads:

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8 NIV

I get so caught up in the daily grind that I miss my very present need to worship God. It reminds me of a product out on the market with several different names. Basically it is spray foam that when expelled from the can into a space it immediately conforms to fill that space. But you have to watch how much you spay because it keeps expanding and expanding, getting EVERYWHERE. It sticks to nearly EVERYTHING, including hands and clothing. My worship should be like that spray stuff. It's not about being a pastor, but about being a Christian man. I should be worshipping God in such a way that it expands from my being and sticks everywhere! Too often I find things that require much effort and energy. Depending on what those things are determines my own spiritual health. If my prayer and worship life is expanding like the spray foam, watch out! If not, I need to work at it some more.

The kind of stuff going on in these passages really boggles my finite mind. I think about what it must feel like to be directly in God's presence. I've enjoyed incredible times of sensing His presence in my life, but the thing going on in Isaiah and Revelation go so much beyond my own thinking that anything I can do to bless God pales by comparison.

Some will shrink back and think, "I can never measure up, I could never worship like that." You're right. We don't measure up or worship like that, not one of us. But because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us, we can enter the throne of grace and find mercy (Hebrews 4:16).

My thought? Lord, find us faithful!

What If...

Just a note for those who frequent this blog: I missed writing last Thursday. I was away at a leadership meeting for our state denomination. I'm pleased to write that it was a great time where it was clear that things are moving ahead. We need times like that where we take a couple of steps back, take a deep breath and dream about "what if?" The health of our families and church could be greatly enhanced if we asked, "What If..." and then did something about it...

No Doubt About It

We were back Sunday with the beginning of our second series of messages on Celebrate Recovery. "CR" is the ministry started by Saddleback Church in the Los Angeles area about 16 years ago that deals with "Hurts, Habits and Hang Ups" in the lives of people. Yes, it is a Christian-based program to help folks with addictions of all kinds, but is also so much more than that. CR is here to handle all of life's hurts, habits and hang ups. It is a process and a journey, but isn't that what life is all about?

Starting yesterday, I'll be continuing a series that we actually started a year ago. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the messages I'm using were actually created and developed by Rick Warren, whose church started this ministry. And so we began again on Sunday, and will move through the next three weeks.

What a day.

Sometimes there are Sundays that seem like train wrecks. We had one yesterday, although it was probably more like a minor derailment than a wreck. Fortunately this phenomenon hasn't happened to us for a long while. Our women's group had a retreat that went over Sunday. This is fine except that about half of our men don't come to church without their wives. So we were not only missing a good portion of the softer side of our church body, we were missing a good number of the whiskered ones as well.

Worship (singing time) always sets the tone for the entire service. The music was good, the selection was good, it was well led...but we didn't have the right words for the first song. How did that happen? Computer glitch? Human error? Cluelessness? I don't really know. It was a new hymn that we were singing (actually not singing, only watching) and it just happened. It was one of those moments that everyone is trying to hum along but it gets so awkward that the only ones enjoying the song are the worship team who are singing it, with their eyes closed and oblivious to what everyone else is experiencing. It was almost as uncomfortable as the length of the previous too-long sentence. From there, it was a struggle with a good deal of the energy escaping from the room that was already missing a huge group from the church.

We're going to do things differently on this weekend next year.

I'm thinking that we need to have a huge "guy day" when the ladies are going on their annual retreat. We need to all dress in camouflage, smelling of deer camp and come in making "man sounds." Maybe we could have a giveaway, like a rifle, wrench or something. Maybe we could give something to each guy who was brave enough to come and experience God's house...without their wife (I know, shudder the thought)! We could have a special meal afterwards, with brawts on the barbecue and tri-tip in the smoker. Maybe we could sit around with crossed legs and beat drums and...ooooh, never mind!

Ah, you know it really wasn't that bad Sunday. I think that we just missed the women. You don't realize how good you have it until something is missing. I heard that a lot of guys did "guy things" with their wife gone over the weekend, which was no doubt good for them. But we flat out missed our gals!

Proverbs tells us,

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 18:22
New Living Translation

No doubt about it.

Discombobulated & Random

It's late for me and I've sat down on three previous occasions today to write a blog. Each time I was thwarted by the tyranny of the urgent. Yup, the phone controlled my day. That's life sometimes. Even as I write I'm feeling a little discombobulated and figure that these few thoughts will probably ramble a little more so than usual.

There were calls to make and calls to receive. I'm leaving for sunny Salem, Oregon in the morning and I had to get some things straightened out with some other pastors from our region before I left. I'm pleased to report that even though nothing worked out the way that I thought it would, I was able to get hold of all the principles and get the information I was looking for. It was great to get to talk to some of the guys whom I've never had opportunity to interface with. They impressed me to the point that I'm looking forward to a face-to-face with each of them in the near future.

I like talking to people but it doesn't get the paper chase accomplished. I spent most of the time while not on the phone attempting to recover my desk from the piles that go back several months to the summer log jam. Approximately two and a half feet of mail, magazines, articles and random pieces of paper piled up while I was on Sabbatical. I'm pleased to report that those two competing stacks are gone now, most of which made the round file.

I think I'm getting to like the round file the best and am considering a larger one!

The highlight of the day was meeting with a group of parents from the Mountain View High School baseball team. We're needing to overhaul the concessions booth at the baseball stadium. It's the same old sad story - lots of need and very little cash. I'm glad that we had the people there to make things happen. I'm already figuring on a couple of Saturdays spent with my tool belt and a bag full of nails. The best part is that these are folks who genuinely care about our kids, and want to make things the best we can for them. The humorous part is that we want to repair the thing in such a way that it will survive our kids who are moving through the program, and thereby become someone else's problem. Such is...the truth! We love to do good and then pass the buck as quickly as possible. And yet some things can never be given away, like personal responsibility...

I know what you're thinking, how did this blog end up with that last sentence? Some days are discombobulated and random. And that's okay.

Hurts, Habits and Hang-Ups

I'm getting ready for Sunday, thinking and praying about the direction the message and service will go. Our theme this weekend and over the next few weeks is that of Celebrate Recovery. "CR" is an outstanding ministry at Faith where people's "Hurts, Habits and Hang Ups" are dealt with in a way in which true healing and transformation can occur. It is a Bible based recovery program, not only from chemical addictions, but all kinds of issues that we can carry throughout our life that control us in any way. The truth is, ANYONE can benefit from CR.

This series is actually an eight part collection of messages from Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in the Los Angeles area. You might know him best as the author of the wildly popular book, "The Purpose Driven Life." Warren's church is where CR started about 15 years ago. Last year I shared the first four messages in the series, and I plan to cover the last four over the next few weeks. While the messages are already prepared, I'll be spending my time "Bendizing" them, and then "Faithizing" them. In the end it still remains that we need to communicate the material so that the audience we are at Faith, located in good ol' Bend, Oregon can grab hold of it.

The truth is I need to grab hold of it too, just like everyone else.

We'll actually be re-visiting this material again in another form coming up in our January-February series "The Biggest Winner." At that time our study will be over what makes us up as people, the body, soul and spirit. We'll be looking at the importance of our bodies and the need to take better care of them. I know, it sounds like a diet...BECAUSE IT IS. Well, at least for some of us... Yes, we'll have some diet plans for those who want to do something about it. We're so used to our potlucks and buffets that we've neglected the fact that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to get our temples back under control in the midst of the present American Twinkie-eating festival we seem so fixated on. Secondly, we'll be looking at the area of the soul, the heart of our emotions. Our emotional health is a Biblical issue. It is through the emotions that the gifts of the Holy Spirit flow. It is also the seat of our attitude that leads to many of our behaviors like joy or grumpiness (more joy please!). Lastly we'll focus on the area of our spirit being a healthy place for the presence of the Lord. The biggest winners are those who pursue God in all three of these areas!

I'm including the address to our associate pastor's blog. Pastor Dick Stein leads our Celebrate Recovery ministry on Monday nights at Faith. His blog is brand new, but contains the actual material used in the previous Monday meeting. There is nothing like being at the meeting itself, and this blog is no replacement for that. However, you can check it out and get a feel for where things are going. Better yet, you can use his blog for exactly what it was intended for; come to the meeting and use the blog material to strengthen you during the week! Here is his address:

http://pastordickcelebraterecovery.blogspot.com/

Hurts, Habits and Hang-Ups. We all have them, affecting our bodies, souls and spirits'. The real issue is, who is willing to do something about them?

Precious B Stuff

Today was e-mail day.

I never thought it would come to this, but I've spent four hours today just going through past and present e-mail. I didn't realize that I'd left such a mess. Usually I'm quite prompt at writing back, but today was the day to take care of all of those "B" category mails left for later to do because they weren't pressing.

Why does so much of our time seem to be taken up by things we think are pressing, but don't amount to a hill of beans?

I've seen those hills of beans. I much prefer the beautiful Cascades and the seven peaks we can see from the parking lot of Faith Christian Center. For those of you reading this from afar, this blog originates from Bend, Oregon, and we can see seven mountain peaks from most places in our city. Yes, we're really lucky!

It's funny, but I've just realized that my "B" category e-mails correspond to the first letter of "beans." Have you ever tried to climb a mountain of beans before? I know, what's the point? The point is there is no point!

Take stock of your day, listing the activities that you're involved in. Go through and mark them "A" for priority, "B" for important and "C" for 'why am I even doing this dumb thing?' While I've listed those things that fall into the category of 'hill of beans' as being 'important,' let's note for a moment that you probably only have enough time in the day and in your life for the priority things. The reason I involved myself with the B items today was because I had to get rid of that stuff. Lots of those mails that were sitting there were important, just not earth shaking enough to make the A list. Furthermore, if I would have just deleted everything (like we should do with C items), I would have missed out on a few important contacts and arrangements.

Alright, let's cut to the chase here. One of the things I learned while on my Sabbatical was that I sweat the B items way too much, at times to the detriment of the A items. My problem is that I love some of the B items way too much. For all of our lives, whether you are a Christian or not, our spiritual life must be an A item every day. Read the Bible. Talk to God. When you put God first in your day, you've started it the right and you're most likely to get a lot more done! Trust me, the guy who is trying to get over himself with all of his precious B stuff.

About Leaks

Yesterday was an eventful day. Our oldest son Zach had surgery to repair his broken collarbone. It was basically in three pieces, one of which was perpendicular to the other two overlapping bones. Now he has a plate and seven screws. As the doctor said, "As good as Sears!"

We were praying for a miracle to take place, but the outcome is still good! He should be ready to get back to working out again in six weeks or so. He's taking pain killers along with wearing a strange contraption called, "Game Ready." It's an ice, water and pressure machine that aids in the healing process. I must admit, I've never seen such a thing before. But it helps him feel better through the day and during the night.

After Zach's surgery, I spent the day working some on two of our bathrooms that we have torn apart. There was a leak in the upstairs boys bathroom, which necessitated changing the floor...which also meant we needed a new light and new counter top. While we're at it, we just as well should do the downstairs bathroom, and also change out the towel rack, the toilet paper dispenser, two water supply valves and a vanity storage unit above the commode. Did I mention the new mirror? I guess I just did. It's strange how something so simple as a leaky floor can lead to new lighting, cabinets and counter tops.

I finished the project today at about 2 PM. Everything is pretty much together, and the room looks great! I'm appreciative of my wife who chose everything and painted. I hate doing that stuff, probably because I'm not very good at it.

If we are honest with ourselves, we are all projects in progress. We have leaks that need to be repaired. The good news is when we give our lives over to God, he doesn't just fix the leak, but everything else as well, in due season. I'm kinda glad though, that everything doesn't always happen at once. He takes care of the biggest problem first, which is our sin. After that, everything else is all about getting the inside together so the outside is radiant. Every time I look in the mirror, I know I have a long way to go. Sometimes what I'm looking at is a painful sight. I'm just glad He isn't finished with us yet, aren't you?

I have great news for those who've read my last two blogs (see "Complete Amateurs" and "Thoughts During My Declining 40's..."). That bed that I was preparing for my buddy Tom in our shed isn't going to be needed. For those unaware, Tom was in a little trouble with his wife for buying too much artwork at an online auction site. And then he and I are taking a framing class so we can hang our cheap art on our bare walls, or be forced by our wives to give it away because the only things they go with are weight rooms and NAPA Auto Parts stores. It was about this time when Tom had the brilliant idea of taking over the basement of his house and converting it into an art-framing studio. Hence the bed in my shed once his wife found out. The good news it that a miracle has come to Tom's household. In the past two days his lovely wife has been buying art online. In fact, not only one piece but several. Now she is the proud owner of cheap art - that SHE picked out and not Tom!

I wonder whose stuff is going to get framed first...? Duh.

Thoughts During My Declining 40's...

My buddy Tom and I went to our first art framing class last night through Central Oregon Community College (see previous blog, October 16th, "Complete Amateurs"). The class was held at the Bend Senior Center. We fit in better than we'd like to think...

It was an enjoyable time with some hands-on activity. We're already started on cutting out our mats (i.e., fancy thicker than usual colored copier paper) for our artwork. The humor is that we both brought pictures to frame that were way too big for our complete lack of skill at this point. The instructor actually had several in the class (including me) participate in the corporate cutting out of the first sample mat. It was a botched job; crooked cuts with ragged edges. This is way harder than Tom or I thought it would be, but there's no way we're giving up!

Tom is already talking about a major remodel in the basement of their home. He's going to build a framing studio, complete with two workstations, one for the master of the house, and one for his loyal friend (no, not the dog), me. I'm excited about his construction plans. We've already been talking about building a better cutting board for mats, and how we could do it. The best framing shops have computers that cut the mats. The way we learned how to do it in class was basically for the kitchen table. But not for us! We're "manly men" who recognize that "bigger is better" (the hollow thumping sound you hear is the feeble attempt of two men in their declining 40's, who while trying to find a firm place on their chests to beat, ended up slapping their over-sized belly's). We're going to build a "beastly" apparatus, one that will sit under the 14 mounted deer heads in the room (all spikes), next to the flat-panel 60 inch big screen, complete with a Bose surround sound system. And to the left of the machine will be a magazine rack stacked with a year's worth of Sports Illustrated and Car and Driver. It will be a 'man room!'

Just wait till his Tom's wife finds out. I'm already getting him a bed ready in my tool shed in the back yard...

I'm on my way to have a root canal in a few minutes. My youngest son who was sick on Monday but went to school anyway so he could play football on Tuesday is sick with the flu again today (there was no game tomorrow so he stayed home this time). Our oldest son is getting ready for surgery tomorrow to repair his collarbone. I laid hands on all three of us today and prayed for help.

I've been preaching on healing. I still believe! God is good. No matter what comes our way, miracles still happen. We're just waiting for the best that is yet to come!

A Special Message for Kyle's Grandparents
Kyle was awesome yesterday! He was in on or made 15 tackles yesterday, had 17 yards rushing on three carries, including a two-point conversion in which he carried three guys into the end zone with him. He recovered two fumbles and made the key block on each of four touchdown runs for his teammates. Here's the clincher -- he played 'out of his head' because he thought his brother was there to watch him. Zach ended up at the high school for team pictures in his sling. Kyle played an unbelievable game.

Complete Amateurs

I'm going back to college tonight. It's not like I don't know what I'm doing. As I look back over my post-high school education, I've spent 13 years attaining my degrees. Most of it was taking a class per quarter, but still it felt like I was a professional student. At least that's what my wife thought. So now I'm back in college again, fulfilling one of my life's purposes - to be a student. I guess I'm either a glutton for punishment or maybe it's just about trying to find new ways to squander my kids' inheritance! I'm nervous, excited and hoping that I pass all of the required marks in order to become proficient at my new area of study. I'm certainly not looking forward to working this new class late at night, long after the lights normally go out at the Johnson house. The course of study will be somewhat extreme and difficult as I attempt to master something completely different and out of my "box."

My friend Tom and I are taking a picture framing class through Central Oregon Community College.

You can stop laughing now.

OK, the unvarnished truth. Tom and I are amateur art connoisseurs. Actually, I'm not even certain that "amateur" is the appropriate term. Maybe it is something like "novice," "hopeless" or "helpless"...you get the picture.

Actually we've been getting the picture(s). We've had the privilege of going on vacation several times where there are art auctions associated with these annual getaways. Over time we've convinced ourselves that we like pretty pictures of landscapes drawn by people who like sitting outside on a chair with their paintbrushes, freezing their tails off painting these things. So we have a few pieces that we've each individually purchased, mostly because we were probably duped into it on some level. But we've also gotten back at these wily auctioneers by winning numerous copies of free art through ticket drawings. We obtained these tickets by being simple-minded enough to just show up. So now we have a number of pieces (look, I'm doing my best to sound "artsy" by calling the works we have "pieces) that are so completely worthless that they had to give them away. But that's not what we've been trying to convince our wives. Somewhere in the forefront of our minds, we are completely convinced that these are great works of art on thicker than usual copier paper. These wonderful copies of paintings are so excellent and pristine that the artists didn't even take the time to sign them in person. Instead their names in the plate are actually copies of their names. Nope, no original works of art for us! No sirree. What if it gets a little moist and the paint starts to run? What if one of our children chucks a cup of water on the signature? Complete devaluation of the thicker than usual copier paper would commence. We are smart connoisseurs!

Yup, I know what you're thinking, and you're probably right. We are trying to convince our wives that this art thing is no passing fancy, and tonight we're going to begin to learn how to frame...our free stuff. Our wives have taken away the pieces that we actually paid money for - and locked them up at someone else's house. Maybe someday they'll recoup the pennies we've paid for the few of them. Either that or they'll hold them for ransom when we run out of the free stuff!

Leo Brown Memorial Service Update

This is my third and final note on Leo Brown, a former beloved member of Faith Christian Center. His memorial service will be held this Saturday, October 20th, 1 PM at Living Purpose Church located on the west side of Bend Senior High School. Living Purpose is a recent church plant and a sister church or our denomination.

Several from Faith will be participating in the service in a variety of ways. I will also be co-officiating the service. For those that knew Leo, this would be an excellent time to gather together to remember him before we see him again when we pass over to the other side.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

I remember that wildly popular book for pregnant women, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," by Heidi Murkoff. I just looked at Amazon and to my best judgment the book is in its third edition. When my wife Tami was carrying our first child, it became a bible of sorts. It told all about 'what to expect' during a pregnancy. She read and read, marked specific sections of the book, and had me read a few places as well (so that I could respond appropriately during those predictable emotional mood swings instead of like a Neanderthal).

I'm thinking about the church that it is my privilege to serve. What a great day we had yesterday! We had a celebratory time of receiving the communion. The singing part of our worship was outstanding and incredibly meaningful. The message went well and the prayer time after the conclusion of service went until 1 PM (we dismissed everyone around noon; those who wanted to stay and be prayed for remained for a special time we had for needs after service). It was awesome! I'm looking forward with great expectation of what God is going to do in each individual situation.

This sense of expectation seems to be running the breadth of the entire church.

If I were to write a book by the same title as Murkoff's about the church's sense of expectation, it would probably include the deep need to be involved in prayer to do spiritual warfare. Now is the time when our enemy the devil would like most to attack.

I've been speaking on the subject of healing over the past six weeks. A week ago, I felt awful on Saturday night, and felt poorly again on Sunday morning. The same was true of the last weekend with the exception that I felt ill while driving home on Saturday from a funeral I attended in Eugene. Both times I knew that I HAD to be in church. It wasn't time to call one of our gifted associates to fill in for me. Here I am, teaching on the subject of healing. The bulletin and message notes both say the title is "Healing Now," Parts 1 & 2 over the past two Sundays. And I'm home sick both days? It's not going to happen. It's not about me being 'all that' when it comes to preaching. It's not about me being the only one who can teach this stuff. It is about having a demonstration of power that God is who He said He is. Both times I prayed for myself. It wasn't selfish. It was so that the message could go forth without any interference from any outside source. I received healing and relief both times IMMEDIATELY after I prayed (which leads me to believe it was a spiritual attack).

So to repeat myself, yesterday I preached my last message on healing, much of which dealt with raising the dead (basically about exhorting people to step out in faith and pray for others). This morning my oldest son still has a broken collarbone and missed school today along with his sister who has the flu. Child number three wanted to stay home because he didn't feel well, but realized he wouldn't get to play in his football game tomorrow if he missed practice today.

He went to school.

What to expect when you're expecting as a church for God to do great things? Opposition in a whole variety of forms, including more people in the church coming down sick than ever before. It feels like if I stopped preaching and teaching about living a dangerous life for God (dangerous to the plans of hell) that there would be a reprieve.
But that's not going to happen either.

Many have paid the price to be in the incredible season we're in at Faith right now through countless hours of prayer. Others have given beyond their financial means in order for us to move ahead. My own family has paid the price through clear spiritual warfare attacks the last two years. We're not holding back. We're going for it!

In the end, what should we expect when we're expecting? The fruition of that expectation! Our 'baby' looks like thousands coming to knowledge and relationship with Christ and incredible healings that boggle the mind.

We expect it to happen.

Perpetual Vacation

It's Sunday and I'm headed into preach on the subject of healing in just a few minutes. I'm writing because I'm antsy, looking forward with expectation of what could happen today!

As I look over this last week, it was one that correlates very well with our topic this weekend. My oldest son broke his collarbone on Thursday in a JV football game (yes, every parent's nightmare that your kid would get hurt in a football game). I attended a funeral for a 34 year-old mom who died after a two-year battle with cancer. I also prayed for three others with maladies of some kind or another this week. I have not seen the results of those prayers (YET!) but I'm looking for a breakthrough!

The Bible says that we are to have faith and believe for healing. Nothing is too hard for God. One thing is perfectly clear though, the cynical nature of the American public and American Christian. Divine healing is a normal part of the Christian life...just not here in America. Overseas there are people being raised from the dead; the lame walk and the blind see. Those reports don't make headlines here because they are not politically correct. It is as if we are saying, "How dare God mess up my own personal bliss and space? How dare He wake me from my slumber?"

One day our comfort and slumber will be met with the reality that God's purpose and plan for our lives was woefully ignored. We all need something bigger than ourselves. God is that huge something, Someone. Some people are on a God-journey, others are on a perpetual spiritual vacation.

Hamstrung and Other Realities

This last summer on my oldest son's American Legion baseball team, one of the boys broke his tibia. It was an innocent play, a collision between the runner and this young man who was playing first base. He literally played on the leg for two weeks before the doctors realized that it was broken. To make matters worse, his parents left him in my care as we were on a road trip to Boise. I felt awful in that I let him play the second game of a double header. He hobbled around the second game...at catcher. It makes my heart sick just reliving the whole episode again.

There is a great truth here though, even in the midst of my own personal feelings of failure. I wonder how many people have had a collision with life that leaves them broken or impaired in some way? My guess is 100%! The struggle is instead of getting repaired and re-set, we play on - hobbling all over the place. We're hamstrung from never experiencing all that we are called to be in Christ because we've never dealt with the break. How I feel about myself in regard to this episode is a case in point. Accidents happen and our understanding isn't always as clear as we would like it to be. This isn't a rationality, but a reality. The key is to stop beating up ourselves and move on, learning from our mistakes.

I guess I would rather have someone else learn the mistake and then tell me about it! But this is not the way we learn best. I've never read the book, "The Accidental Tourist." I don't even know what it's about. But I like the title in that sometimes it is descriptive of all of us at some time or another as we walk through life. The good news is that for those who know Christ, our steps are ordered by the Lord. The entire verse says,

"A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

What does this mean? We don't always know what's coming or what the greater reality is that we aren't seeing. But what I do know is that God has a purpose and plan for our lives, AND IT IS GOOD! To conclude, here is what Jeremiah 29 says,

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

That's a great promise! Let's get those 'hammy's' repaired and get running the race so we don't get roasted (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Memorial for Leo Brown

Hi Friends,

The memorial service for Leo Brown will be sometime next weekend at Living Purpose Church. The delay is due to the extended Brown and Carnahan families' travel schedule. Leo will later be interred at the military graveyard near Portland.

Several people from Faith Christian Center will be involved in the service, from singing solos to the printed materials that will be distributed.

I encourage all who knew the Browns to be there. I know that Marj would greatly appreciate hearing from you between now and the memorial service as well. And by the way - don't forget to talk to her AFTER the memorial service in the days, weeks and months ahead!

We'll attempt to keep everyone in the loop on this one. Please contact the church office if you have any questions. Right now this is pretty much what we know.

Blessings,
Pastor Mike

Character Coming Out My Ears

Our youngest son Kyle had another one of those character building experiences yesterday. That basically means that his middle school football team lost another game! Sadly it was to a team who, like us, hadn't won a game all year...until they ran into us...

The final score was 8 to 6. The other team scored a two point conversion on the only pass they've completed all season. For us, it was a lousy time for firsts!

I played on two football teams that had trouble winning. I went to a new junior high and high school in the Seattle area. I always started and always played the entire game - offense, defense and special teams. And I didn't play in a game my team won until my senior year of high school (wahoo, two wins!).

I have character coming out my ears.

We can insert all the platitudes we want to make those loses feel better. By the end of my illustrious football career, I was sick and tired of always being the one who learns all of those valuable lessons from losing. In the end, it is just good to get a win!

I remember that first win quite well. We beat a cross-town rival, who then proceeded to set a state record for consecutive loses...breaking our record! They were bad, and so were we. It took three overtimes. But I remember crying after the game because it felt so good. Up until that point I was 0-35.

There are three funerals related to our church family at Faith Christian Center this weekend. Two are out of town and one will be here in Bend. I was thinking about those loved ones who have gone on to their eternal reward. All those football games they played in or their kids played in won't amount to a thing. All those difficulties and losses in life will be wiped away, just as every tear from our eyes (Revelation 7:17). At last, that elusive win; at last, victory!

Leo Brown with Jesus

I've received word tonight that a former beloved member of Faith Christian Center, Leo Brown, has gone on to his eternal reward. He died shortly before 6 PM this evening of natural causes.

Leo and his wife Marj were long-time members of First Assembly of God (now Faith Christian Center). After retirement, Leo became a fixture around the church as a handyman, repairing nearly everything under the roof at one time or another. The truth is, he also repaired the roof a few times as well!

When Southside Assembly of God was planted, Leo and Marj changed churches to help this fledgling congregation get off the ground. After five years of faithfulness, the Browns left that now solid church to come back home to Faith. The Monday morning after their first Sunday back, Leo was in the church office looking to get his keys back so he could reconvene being our "church putterer." Leo was as faithful as ever, with us for seven years at Faith before he and Marj jumped into yet another church plant, this time our latest sister church, Living Purpose Assembly of God pastored by Rick and Karen Winlinx. Despite their move back into a church plant, they continued to keep close ties with us at Faith.

Leo was a great-hearted man of few words. If another new Assembly of God church plant were to open in a few months, you could be sure that he and Marj would have made the move to help solidify another new work.

Leo will be missed, but one day we will see him again in heaven. Please pray for Marj and their family during this difficult time.

About Slumber Parties

While I was gone on Sabbatical this summer, our Associate Pastor Brian Eno had the church staff go into our intercessors prayer meeting for the first half-hour of our weekly staff meeting. When I got back in the middle of August, we continued this excellent practice. These meetings have been nothing short of awesome, featuring a marked sense of the nearness of God's presence!

I love these meetings! I love how God speaks to my heart during this time. And I love what this vital connection does to those who attend!

There are some people you just enjoy being around. They have a glow about them, a charisma that you can't escape. Being in God's presence is a little like that, only the charisma part is multiplied about 10,000 times!

When I pray and read the Scripture, I do so with a yellow pad and pen in hand. I also have my little brown book with me where I record my sarcastic thoughts on life. I think I have my brown book nearby so that somehow those little thoughts might find redemption... And so I write. I write about the thoughts that I believe that I'm receiving from heaven. Today's was pretty short, a one-liner; "Prepare for the Unusual." I don't know if this is a theme I'm supposed to pick up for a sermon series or just a warning of what is to come on the horizon for our church body. I'm just looking forward to things that are outside of 'normal.' Normal can get pretty boring after while whereas 'unusual' can seem quite scary. I'll be honest; I think we need a dose of 'scary' every once and a while to wake us from our slumber.

Slumber parties are great for middle school girls; they giggle, yell, play with make-up...and talk about boys. Slumber parties are lousy for churches; the people fall asleep, neglect God and His presence...and talk about others behind their backs.

Questions People are Asking and Questions that Need to be Asked

Okay, this one is a little "preachy." But no apologies, just a warning!

I was sharing with the church on Sunday morning that one of the main criticisms of pastors and preaching is that they too often are answering questions that no one is asking. I agree. I believe that the message of the Bible is relevant in every situation in life. But I don't agree for one moment that preachers are always relevant. But then again, neither are the hearers...

I asked the question Sunday morning, "Why does the American church not see the power of God to heal like they do in third world countries?" I know what you're thinking. It's not exactly a relevant question in the forefront of all of our minds. But for authentic followers of Christ, it is a question we should be asking. And the answer isn't always pretty.

When we read in the Bible about the miraculous and about how it is supposed to be a normal part of the Christian life, it certainly sets up a level of expectation. The obvious is true - that healing is not normal. Again on Sunday I read yet another account of a person raising from the dead, this time taking place within the last few weeks in the middle east. We all cheer for that. We believe that it can happen. But having an expectation that it would happen here and right now? I hear something that sounds like crickets in the background, or the sound a phone makes when the line goes dead!

So what's wrong with us?

Scratch that. The better approach is, what's wrong with you, what's wrong with me?

We don't like that approach, that's for sure! It's someone else's fault. This is where we go around making excuses for God and ourselves. Whatever happened to being driven to our knees when we prayed for something to happen and it didn't? Do our lives grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)? Do the basic things of what it means to be a Christian permeate our lives (Ephesians 4)? Those are questions that very few are asking but for the sake of healthy Christian lives need to be asked.

What are the questions that we're asking? They reveal a great deal about what is going on in our souls. Are they about things like just getting through the day, or are we asking questions that move us ahead to excel at something? There is a huge difference. In the first case, you're out of control, having already messed things up because you were previously in control; in the second you're allowing God to have control.

Men love to have control of the television remote. Who holds the remote of your life?

Thank You

It's time for me to say THANK YOU to all of the people who have been checking out my blog since it's inception the first week of August. I've been working hard at letting people know about it. The whole purpose is to invite you and anyone who would check it out to connect with me and the work that God has been doing in my life. It really is a "Faith Journey Adventure" that I'm on. I hope that each of you can say the same about your own walk with God, and that these small thoughts I've been sharing have been helpful to you.

I'm still learning how to do this thing, and have mostly been "blogging" Monday through Thursday. If you have suggestions for me about content or about blogging more days, let me know. I don't know if I'll be able to comply, but let me know. I want this thing to be profitable to those who take the time to read!

Blessings,
Pastor Mike Johnson

'Pointless' Preaching

My first thought today was to begin this journal with nearly the same words I begin with every Monday: "Yesterday was great!!"

It really was!

We had great worship at church, great prayer before the message and afterward, and I preached a kind of message I never have before. It was "pointless." I know what that must sound like, especially for those who think that anything that goes on in church is pointless. But please allow me the chance to explain. I worked a long time on the weekend message. Worked and worked and worked. If you read last Thursday's blog (I usually only blog on office days) you would remember that I wrote the message on my days off (Friday-Saturday). I'm the kind of pastor who writes three to five point messages, very linear and hopefully very understandable. I like having lots of little blanks for people to fill on the sermon notes that come in the bulletin on Sunday mornings.

Not this time.

Saturday afternoon I realized that I had nine pages of notes on the subject of healing that didn't arrive at any one point or place. This kind of thing doesn't happen to me very often. The few times in the past I would have completely shredded what I'd done and put it into points that fit. But not this time. When I realized what had happened, I sent up one of those 'signal flare,' "Lord help!" prayers. You know, the kind you send up when you realize that you're "in a pit, with a lion on a snowy day" (2 Samuel 23:20)! That was when I sensed God speaking to my spiritual heart that this is the way He wanted it this week. So I preached and and made it clear that each individual in the congregation was responsible to hear in their own heart what the main point was for them.

Wow, was this ever outside of my box. I'm sure glad that God doesn't have a box.

So I preached about healing, about being 'Christian' in basic ways, about being obedient to God and about reasons why we are not seeing great healings very often in the American church. It was a painful experience for me on two levels. First was the aforementioned break from the style of message that I'm used to with actual points THAT I MAKE. Secondly, because what I shared pointed the finger at each of us being the problem for the lack of the miraculous. It was painful...and profitable.

I get "attaboys" several times a month from different members of the congregation after messages. But I've seldom had the kind of response to this one message. It turned out that the exercise of each person needing to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit for how He would speak to them was long overdue.

Clearly, we're better for it! May I suggest that this is the same kind of openness we need to have everyday?

Balance and Perspective

What a busy day!

I'm leaving in a few minutes to head to The Dalles for a football game. My oldest son is playing up there and I will be there freezing my tail off...again...taking statistics for the team. It's just a little after noon and I've already been to my workout, met with staff, been to the hospital for an appointment and had a long phone call with a friend in the ministry. After I finish writing this blog I'll have exactly 10 minutes to write Sunday morning's message.

It looks like another day off won't be a day off.

The one advantage of writing Sunday's message on my day off is that there is usually little interruption. I'm thinking about the message all day long, through the chores I'm doing the the errands I'll run. But then it's still my day off and the "honey-do's" take a backseat. Who's fault is this? Sometimes it's mine and other times it's just the reality of doing what people like me do. We're always chasing something, running to some event or emergency of some kind or another.

Kinda sounds like your life, doesn't it?

Balance and perspective are good and important things. It helps those days when we "get to work" during time that we would normally be off. If we have balance, the task is easily done. When our schedules, brains and emotions are out of whack, the task never seems to get done. I love that Scripture from Galatians 6 that says,

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9-10) NIV

Weariness if a scourge, especially in this day we live in. Giving effort is always needed, but making sure our effort is going toward the right things is what is most important. The hardest part is giving up those things in our lives that "we've always done" that really don't amount to anything. You know, the busy stuff that helps keep your lives "tidy." Every once and a while when we take stock and drop those kinds of things to do something "better," we will find in short order that it really didn't matter at all. Such is the result of my sabbatical last summer. I'm still working through those little things that really don't matter. Squashing them isn't easy, but is so liberating!

This afternoon I'll be catching up on some teaching CD's I've needed to listen to, and probably write in my special book about "stuff the matters" (future sermon and life thoughts). I'll use the drive up and back to my advantage. You know, I could stay here in my office instead of going to my son's game and work on Sunday's message. But then again, I think my son is worthy enough for me to be at his game and use up my day off for work (I feel that way about all my kids). I believe that these kinds of priorities are "God things." Don't give up doing the "God things" in your life because they will reap a great reward if you don't give up.

That's balance and perspective.

Just Showing Up

We had our first meeting of the season for our latest version of the "Pastor's Posse." This is a group of men from the church who meet on a weekly basis for breakfast. We usually have some sort of book study, prayer and "doing life together." It has been a continuous group for about five years. While I think that I'm the only one who has made it through the entire time, we have several long-term members.

I love being part of a group like this. I can look back over these years and note the spiritual growth in the lives of those who've made this part of their Faith Journey. It excites me because spiritual growth is what this kind of meeting is all about.

This morning we had our first senior adult. I was amazed and impressed by his transparency. I'm thinking that he is going to be a valuable addition just by his presence. The actor and director Woody Allen is quoted as saying, "Eighty percent of success is just showing up." I've never really liked that quote because it really doesn't denote any effort. But then in a situation like a men's small group, just showing up does matter. Each man brings their life experiences, their walk with Christ and an eagerness to progress. Just by showing up, they position themselves to grow and sharpen others.

I'm thinking about all those times when we don't show up; a child's ballgame, a friend's important day, a family reunion, church....dinner at home. Even when a parent or spouse is "brain dead" from their workday, your loved ones are better off with you physically present than not at all. This discussion also relates quite well to our presence...in God's presence. The Psalmist wrote,

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God" (Psalm 84:10) NIV

When we read about the greatness of God and what heaven will be like, we become compelled to know Him more. The question I need to ask myself is, "Have I shown up for an encounter with God today?" When I "show up" in God's presence a remarkable transformation takes place. My focus turns from me to HIM. When that happens I have found that He ends up sharpening...me. Lord, make me "pointy."

More Proof that God Exists

I've been working out for a month. I've religiously been walking on the elliptical machine, lifting weights and being punished on the racquetball court. What do I get for all that energy expended? Exactly zero pounds lost.

It's soooo depressing!

I'm in that whole "lose fat, add muscle phase." While my chassis is changing the scale doesn't lie. In fact, I wonder if someone sells a scale that lies? That could be a great product, playing to the denial in all of us!

Yesterday my wife started me on the "Six Week Body Make-Over." I'm thinking I'm probably looking at a 40 week make-over. The nature of the diet is to eat five to six meals a day to get my metabolism going. Of course at the beginning of this adventure, all I feel is BEING JAMMED FULL OF FOOD I DON'T CARE FOR! I'm full all the time and am not getting to enjoy it. But I know it gets better. "No pain, no..."well, it really doesn't hurt.

I'm reminded of the story of the overweight Christian man who had a weakness for donuts from a shop on the way to the office. He started a diet and on his way to the office that day he prayed to the Lord, "If it be Your will for me to stop and get donuts, then let there be a parking place right in front." Sure enough, the seventh time around the block there it was...

We are funny creatures. The Bible says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). It's in the Bible so it's true. However I'm also convinced that some of us are more "uniquely" made than others. Sometimes I'm that person. Just a few moments ago I was in the staff kitchen here at the church. On the counter are two pies, a dozen cupcakes, two dozen individually packaged butter horns and about three pieces of Costco white cake with butter creme frosting. I have no problem passing up the pies. They're cherry which is not my favorite. The cupcakes I can do without, just because there is such a pile of frosting on those things that I can't possibly hide it from my staff that I snuck some! The butter horns? I like them but it's more of a morning thing. But the cake? My favorite stuff. So I picked the "offending temptation" up and drew it near to my face (also the location of my "pie hole"). I thought about how good it would taste, especially since I wasn't enjoying the food that I've eaten the past 36 hours. Besides, a sugar rush would sooth my sugar deprivation induced headache.

And then a miracle took place.

As I closely inspected the object of my temptation, I realized that it was completely and totally dried out from being on the counter too long. Hallelujah! It was just another proof that God exists! With great finesse, flair and agility I dumped the whole thing in the garbage.

Okay, enough sarcasm. But there is more truth to what I've just shared than you think. I need help doing this. That's why I have my wife at home and a partner at the gym to help keep me on track. Would I have really eaten the cake? Naw, I wouldn't have...today. I've already invested way too much time and energy into getting healthier. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 that "iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." It also says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! NIV

We need each other, not just for diets but for accountability in everyday life.

So what's missing here? Oh yes, we all need God who is also there to pick up our soul when we fall down. He's been there for me over and over again. It's just another proof that there is a God...

Afterglow from Sunday

Wow! What a great weekend!

We experienced a marked sense of the presence of God in the house as we made our faith journey together on Sunday morning. We concluded our thematic emphasis, using the television show "House" as a window on the subject of healing. As we move into this next week, we're still focusing on healing, but from a different angle. It will be a bit more on the "how to" side. I think that we've accomplished the goal of elevating our faith to believe God for more of the impossible to take place in our midst. That is always a great goal to accomplish!

When I arrived home on Sunday, our family was together and commented on how great the worship team sounded. The new sound system has greatly enhanced what is happening on the platform, and Sunday we could clearly and easily hear the guitar riffs, the singers and the drums. The best part of the clarity that we were experiencing was the way the team was in unison with what God was doing in our midst. I love that. As a pastor, it is exciting to me to see so many people be used in their area of gifting to bring glory to God. As a worshipper, wow -- we serve an awesome God!

I've learned over time the truth of being a channel of God's power. The more we give up and get out of the way, the greater the flow of heaven. I saw that happen Sunday morning in so many hearts!