Sportsman's Warehouse and the Dental Association

I received my crown today...

Nope, I didn't receive a prize, nor is there anything royal about my genetics (the spirit, yes; genes, no - see 1 Peter 2:9) . No, it's all about the new tooth that adorns my mouth. Yes, it's come to that (whatever 'that' is). From here on out it is all about new teeth and no fillings. It's roooooooot canal-ville for me! Right now I'm also sporting a nifty looking veneer. One day a couple years ago I was cutting fishing line. With my teeth.

Oops.

I found out that 30 pound test line doesn't cut like it used to... I'm also convinced that there is an clear correlation between the success of Sportsman's Warehouse and the local dentists' association. Business is thriving at both places.

Hummmmmm.

But I digress (which happens on a daily basis with this blog). Something humorous and marvelous took place at the same time earlier today. I arrived at work late, due to my dental appointment. I grabbed my things for Sunday's message and headed for the Quiet Place where I study. Next door to the Quiet Place is the 'Other Quiet Place.' It's where our associate pastor, Brian Eno studies. He was in there and came out to talk for a few minutes.

That's when I told him that "I'd received my crown."

He looked at me a little funny. Remember, I work at a church among people who believe the Bible is the Word of God, and the stuff in the book is all going to come true. By the way, I believe it too. The 'crown' he was digging around for between his ears wasn't in my mouth, but in heaven. You see, his first gut reaction was for the crown I'd receive that only comes after I go to heaven.

Trust me, living in Bend is great, but I didn't have a huge detour this morning!

Heaven-bound people think about things like that. They think about how they are living their life now, because eternity is...well...ETERNITY. Sometimes we sweat too much of the small stuff while we're here because something awesome and great is awaiting those who know Jesus Christ.

Revelation 2, 3, and 4 all talk about crowns. We'll be given the "crown of life" if we persevere. We are to be faithful to God, even to the point of death. Funny thing though. In chapter four it talks about 24 elders in heaven with crowns who end up casting them at the feet of Jesus as a form of worship. It sure sounds like that crown I'm waiting for is only going to be a prop. Knowing the smidgen I do about the greatness of Jesus Christ, it will be worth it all...

Joy

We’re in chapter 4 of John Ortberg’s book, “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” at our Wednesday morning men’s group. What a great discussion! The theme we’re looking at right now is that of joy. Here are some quotes Ortberg invites into his discussion:

“To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence.” Lewis Smedes

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.” C.S. Lewis

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Apostle Paul

“Joylessness is a serious sin, one that religious people are prone to indulge in.” John Ortberg

Ortberg notes that most of his time is divided into two spheres, living and wanting to live. The problem is that he sees himself spending most of his time in transit between these two worlds, waiting in lines, driving somewhere, waiting for a meeting to get done…you know the drill.

Oh my, do we know the drill! He writes,

“I am impatient. I am, almost literally, killing time. And that is just another way of saying I am killing myself.” (p.60)

He writes that the thing that keeps him from experiencing joy is a preoccupation with self, using the example of his then young daughter Mallory, who is completely ‘unstuffed.’ I have to agree wholeheartedly. Nearly all of us in some way or another are overfull of ourselves.

I realize now that Ortberg highlights the very reason why I went on a sabbatical last summer. I am that guy who was completely caught up in the aforementioned transition between living and wanting to live.

Too many lines I guess…

Jesus understood this propensity for humankind to walk through life with our hearts and heads downcast. So He came as the ultimate ‘joy-bringer.’ Writing to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul gave context to the power of Christ in his life when he made the following expression:

“I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 2 Corinthians 7:4

The kind of joy Jesus brings? The kind that even in the midst of difficulty, there are no borders. I’m reminded of the following quote by D.L. Moody:

“God sends no one away empty except for those who are full of themselves.”

Focus

I did the invocation at Rotary today. Usually there is an attempt on some level by all those who do this prayer at our meetings to sound coherent. You know, the whole 'walk, talk and chew gum' thing, all at the same time. Being one of the few professionals in the room, I like to sound like I've already talked with God that morning before I pray. This is usually the case, and frankly it just sounds different.

It didn't sound that way today.

I was choppy with my prayer, wanting to say so much but ended up repeating myself twice. Sometimes it doesn't always work out the way it should.

Sounds like life, doesn't it?

My mind wasn't where it should have been. I was thinking about prayer meeting this morning, the things I wrote on my yellow pad during that time, and about staff meeting. I was thinking about this Sunday's message. I was thinking about the woman whose husband just got laid off, and how God was going to use that to bring glory to His Name. I was thinking about my friend whose dad is in the hospital and doesn't look like he's going to make it. I was thinking about the couple that I will see in a few hours at the hospital who are going through their own personal nightmare. I was thinking about some people who are mad at me because I'm following the Scripture and our vision as a church which keeps me from doing what they want me to do. I was thinking about shooting the woodpecker who has been visiting our house with our new pellet gun...

Focus Johnson, FOCUS!!

I didn't sleep well last night, primarily because I had a caffeinated beverage after 6 PM (I know, its finally come to this). In the midst of my sleeplessness, I didn't feel well during the night either which created other being up issues. My fault, my fault, MY FAULT. I was reaping what I'd sown a few hours earlier. What was I thinking?

Well, right now I'm thinking about Sunday morning. I make it a habit of trying not to be out of the house after 6 PM on Saturday night (a habit I will break this weekend because of a high school football playoff game in the valley). It is also a habit of being in bed by 10 PM that night so I am fresh for the morning. I want to be focused on Saturday night for Sunday worship service. There is a passage in John (4:23-24) that says,

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." NIV

If we arrive on Sunday at God's house unprepared, we worship in truth and not in spirit. The truth is we're hungry/tired/exhausted/stressed out/freaked out/depressed/and out of hope. Sometimes our spirit is so depleted, we lack focus...

It's Tuesday. What a great time to take three steps back into the nearby chair, take a few deep breaths and let go of the hustle and bustle of gift lists, party plans and crammed calendars. We all need refreshing, and that primarily comes to the Christian when we understand the greatness of God and His worthiness of receiving our praise. And then we just do it. We give our whole self to loving on God. And then a marvelous and adventurous thing happens...He restores our soul.

Focus Johnson, focus. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace" (from the gospel song Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen Lemmel, 1922).

Practicing the right focus everyday leaves our soul refreshed everyday...and ready for Sunday!

I Wasn't Even There

I'm getting back to the office this morning after taking a week off. I've already received several reports that yesterday (Sunday) was another 'rippen' day at Faith. We like that term around here because it communicates that on the whole, the service was hitting on all cylinders and more importantly that God was in the house!

I was incredibly encouraged by one solitary report that has made my today awesome. A person responded to a salvation appeal during the communion portion of yesterday's service. That really revs me up! This is a primary reason why Faith exists, to be a place where people can come and find Christ as Savior!

Something else touched me as well. I was visiting in the hospital with an extended family member of our church. The woman is from Northern California and due to some health issues with a spouse, find their life being turned upside down right now. This woman was in church on Sunday, a service that was clearly outside of her ecclesiastical 'box.' She raved about the service. She was 'loved on,' encouraged, and uplifted. Isn't that what church is about? Isn't that the role of God's people when they get together with strangers in their midst?

Wow, I'm having such a great day today because of yesterday...and I wasn't even there!

Parking Lot Roulette

I REALLY don't like Black Friday...

It is a day full of pressure, focus and massive sales on everything I want but don't need. But isn't that what the holidays are all about? (Please, I'm being facetious!!)

Some of the stores in the area were open at 4 AM this morning. Others opened at the more decent hour of 5 AM. I just don't get it. One of the stores gave away gift cards promising anywhere from $5 to $25, with one lucky person who would get a $500 card. You just had to be among the first 200 to participate in the lottery. Other places were literally handing out coupons to those in line for the privilege of being able to buy specific limited quantity items. I didn't feel that lucky, nor had the desire to arrive at 2 AM only to find out that I was number 201.

Sometimes it's just better to pay full price...

I told my wife that I was willing to stand in line at if she wanted me to, in order to get the elusive prize that the store in question would no doubt only have two of. That's how all this Black Friday stuff works, huge sales on one or two loss leaders.

We are sooo like cattle...and I was hoping beyond all hope my wife would have mercy on me...

We diligently studied the flyers. There were lots of nifty items that we don't need and our kids don't need. We poured over the paper and picked out items that our relatives might want but don't need either. We circled, we tore, and then suddenly a moment of clarity.

It was like a ray of light from heaven...(this one was sarcasm).

We realized that we didn't need to skip sleeping for the night, that we could accomplish all of our shopping by leaving the house by 8 AM. For the Black Friday newbie, the key is to not pursue any merchandise appearing on the first page of any circular. When the 8 AM start time was determined, I could almost hear the angels who hang out with me sing Handle's Hallelujah Chorus. I'm certain they didn't want to be out all night either (it's like I always tell people, 'be the kind of person angels want to hang out with.' Early Black Friday shopping surely puts you on the bad list!).

Something happened that I hadn't noticed before when we were out and about our shopping. I noticed for the first time the debris on the ground from the night crew, those mildly crazed citizens of our fair community who felt the need to be up before the rooster crowed. It kind of reminded me of Senior Day at Camp Meeting for our state denomination. On Senior Day they offer our seasoned saints $2 off of lunch. So these precious people will drive three hours across the state to take advantage of the awesome savings.

Let's see, how much is gas right now...?

There were coffee cups and napkins everywhere. I saw signs on store doors that said, "Line up here." I met nice but frazzled store employees who had been up way too long. And then of course, I thought of the improved level of civility later in the day in contrast to the pushing and shoving of the early morning lines. My oldest son and I actually had a taste of those early morning lines later in the morning. Of course, we were in the car. After Tami and I had finished shopping, Zach and I went out to accomplish some of his little tasks. We were in the parking lot of one of our malls. A person shifted their car into reverse just as we were coming up on them. Zach, a new driver, noticed a moment too late. When he stopped, he would have to back up three feet in order to let the person out, and then take that parking space. The man behind us whipped his car up behind us on our back bumper and turned on his turn indicator. I have to be honest, my flesh would have wanted me to just sit there until the fellow took back some of our 'space' that he had just invaded. But then, wouldn't that have made me just as ugly as that fellow? Sadly, parking lot roulette is a game too many of us have played, making nearly all of us at times look like jerks or morons. But it's okay because it's all in the name of Black Friday Shopping...(that's right, facetious again).

I have to admit, if I'm shopping on Black Friday, I like going out a little later. People are nicer. We hold doors for one another. We help each other get stuff off the shelves. Lord, help me to not get caught up in the materialism of this age.

I've been studying for my short series coming up on the church of Laodicea. This congregation was located in Asia Minor and was the object of scorn from Jesus Christ in Revelation 3. The people had become so caught up with their wealth and creature comforts that it distracted them from nearly every aspect of their walk with God. They had forgot to understand God's blessing and began to think they had done it all themselves. We see this attitude everywhere today...and sometimes even in the pulpit. This must not be so.

Lord, light the fire again and again...

Thanksgiving

What am I thankful for? Here’s my random list of what's important to today:

Cruises

Summer

My wife

My kids

Pictures of my family

Embarrassingly goofy pictures of my family

Having my kids initiate conversation with me…without the use of muffled grunting sounds…

Having fun with my family

Good friends, acquaintances and extended family

Parents who are still young…between their ears!

Harbor Freight

Anything from Costco

Home Depot

Dodge Rams

Barbecues

Right-hand men that every pastor needs…I’m so wealthy…

Tuesday morning intercessors

Winter

People growing in Christ...who don't even realize it (it's so hilarious!)

Fantasy Football (because of my sons)

A good hat

Pastor’s Posse

The view from our breakfast nook into the backyard

Cruises

Spring

My Computer

Broken cell phones

Author Philip Gulley

Hits on my Blog

E-mail

Digital pictures of family and friends

Love

Beautiful artwork

Warm gloves

Koi in our pond

The Word of God

Hearing from God

Having God Thoughts

The privilege of prayer

The Quiet Place

Solitude and Silence

The privilege of preaching

People who are easy to preach to

New converts to Jesus Christ

Healings

Sunday morning intercessors

Faith Christian Center’s Worship Team

The Staff at Faith

Faith Journey Group Leaders

Celebrate Recovery

Faith’s Prayer Ministry

'WOW' days at Faith

Fall

Did I mention Cruises?

Getting Better Everyday

We've had a few "vehicular issues" the last few days. My family drove the car to church on Sunday (I come in much earlier to get ready for service). Everything was fine. Then they came out after church to find the front two seats and headliner full of water.

It all gives new meaning to the phrase, "My cup runneth over."

As a dutiful husband who doesn't have a clue on how to fix a car, neither mechanically or in due time, I called the repair shop to have a look at it. In my woefully limited expertise...in my lack of understanding...in my complete and utter ineptitude (there, third one's the most accurate), I surmised that the problem was a leak where the luggage rack connects to the top, or a problem with the sun roof. The words of a friend began to ring through my mind, "Never buy a car with a sun roof because they all eventually leak." When buying a car, that admonition is right up there with, "Don't buy a car with power windows because they always go bad." My father-in-law whom I love says that. I think you can figure out how well I listen as all three of our cars have power windows. So, I took the car to the shop. What did they find out?

Absolutely nothing.

It's kind of like the numerous times that my wife has said, "The car is making a funny sound." I dutifully take the car to the repair shop because of previous comments noted above. So the guy behind the counter takes the car out for a drive (again). Guess what? No funny sound. Yesterday the body shop ran water on our car for two hours. No leak. Those guys at the Chevy garage must think I'm nuts. At least a mechanical hypochondriac...

So I saved face by having them change the oil (whether it needed it or not!).

I wish they would have found something this time. All those mystery noises, quirks, jerks and sounds. It would be nice every once and while to get to pay money for a problem instead of having the counter guy say, "No charge Mr. Johnson." What I think he really meant was, "No charge 'again' Mr. Johnson."

So I did something really wise... I dropped my wife off to pick up the car this time.

Once again they couldn't find what was wrong. It's okay because I can live with my shortcomings and embarrassment in this area. In the end, it just doesn't matter. I'm not very good at a lot of things and prove it way too often.

Sometimes we forget that we were made for a purpose, that God has actually designed you and I for something great. The one commonality that all humankind have with one another is that we were created to worship God. And yet for each of us there is something more. You and I have been placed on this earth, not to take up space, but to have meaning.

My friend John went with us on our last adult missions trip to Mexico. He is a senior adult at Faith. I know he didn’t think he would be very useful, but I know he ended up doing a whole lot more than he thought he would – which was a great deal. John was not only the oldest team member we’ve ever taken but was the oldest our missionaries, the Stoneking's have ever had on a project. You know, we all appreciated what John did as far as work; I mean I had a great time working side-by-side with him one day. But it wasn’t his work as much as it was his heart and attitude. He was a great source of joy and inspiration to our team. Yes – he was a vital and indispensable part of our team.

He was the only guy to come back with a loving nickname.

Here is the point. Each of us has a role to play within the church and this life. Don’t worry about wanting to have or do what another person can do. Be whom God has made you to be and fulfill His purposes for your life. It will be enough. If you were created to be a hand, be a hand, and don’t despise or be jealous of what the ear can do (1 Corinthians 12-14).

John gets it. John understands that he's not done. He's on a journey with Christ. And he's getting better at it everyday...

Let the Festivities Commence

I was reading in Revelation this morning about how John was visited by angels and then was led to see what is written in that magnificent book. What I found to be somewhat conflicting is that chapter one says that we are blessed by reading its contents (1:3) and that we are to take that content to heart, acting on it. The conflict is that most Christians don't read the book because they don't understand it (or have been told they won't understand it and just skip it). Even in verse 4 of the first chapter we are confronted by John's inclusion of greetings from "the seven spirits who are before his [God's] throne." I read seven different opinions from commentaries on who the seven spirits are.

Even the wise guys struggle...

Here's something wise for all of us to consider; John's Revelation was written so that we would know that God has everything under control and to have the knowledge that Jesus is coming again and coming soon! By all means read Revelation (and any other book of the Bible we think we don't understand)! We WILL BE BLESSED by reading it. But how do we apply it to our lives? Live like Jesus is coming soon.

Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow. Many of us will be having family and friends over for this important holiday. Right now there is a good deal of preparation for the guests who are coming to our homes to celebrate. Homes are being cleaned, food is being prepared...I have one friend who has been baking and freezing things for a couple of weeks now. Thanksgiving day will arrive, homes will be clean and straightened, a beautiful display will be on the table and the festivities will commence. There will be a party from one end of our country to the other!

If Jesus Christ has been invited in to take up residence in our lives we should be living in such a way that He is welcome and provided for all the time. Taking Revelation to heart means that our spiritual hearts are cleaned and straightened and that the table of our soul is a beautiful display for the festivities that are about to commence.

Obviously, this thought says something about our daily walk with God...

Everyday is a special day because of the presence of Christ!

Another Great Day

Wow, yesterday was another great day at Faith!

Our motto is, “Experience Authentic Faith.” To those who attend Faith this motto means two things; first, that we love a tangible sense of God’s presence in our church services and in our lives. Secondly it means that our faith is just as authentic when we follow God with our whole hearts when we don’t feel His nearness. It may mean that our “feeler” needs to be fixed or that we’re going through a season where God seems to be silent, or at the very least speaking quite softly. Its okay, it’s really all about being on our faith journey adventure!

Yesterday was one of those days where our corporate feeler was fixed.

I learned something as well. Someone communicated to me that they felt the Lord had given them a passage of Scripture to share during the worship time, but couldn’t do it themselves as they themselves were overwhelmed by emotion. I read it and thought, “Well, this isn’t a bad passage, and couldn’t hurt,” so I shared it right before the congregational prayer. After church I was told that the passage was specifically directed toward at least one person who was at church for the first time.

Sometimes you just never know…

We’ve been having some awesome days as of late, and Sunday was just another height for us. As a pastor, my biggest issue is that we’re all participating in some way, that we’re all “experiencing authentic faith” on some level or another. I know that this isn’t always possible. Some of us come to church with our hurts, habits and hang-ups located on our sleeves. We can’t see past our own “stuff” so we can see Jesus (this is a struggle and effects ALL of us. That’s why we have our Celebrate Recovery ministry). What is important to remember is that on a given Sunday we can have a whole range of worship experiences. While some dance before the Lord in the front of the sanctuary, others stand in the pew and have just as significant (or more!) of an experience. Yet in hindsight, knowing that we are all in different places in our walk with Christ my prayer is for all of us to move together to have a similar experience of authentic faith on a given Sunday…and weekday! I’m not talking about our forms of worship that so much has to do with our personalities; I am completely referring to what is going on in our hearts.

Something needs to be pointed out here that too often is missed. Yesterday’s (and other recent Sundays) awesome time in church finds its foundation in our Sunday night prayer meetings nine years ago. Five years ago, those prayer meetings moved to Wednesday nights. In recent times that meeting has taken place on Sunday and Tuesday mornings. When people pray, individually or corporately, we scatter seed for God’s presence in our midst. Each prayer, each gathering is an investment in the future of our church…and our personal lives.

What investment are you and I making today?

Just Tweaken'

Life just got a little bit better...

Our oldest son is now online with his video game player, due to our new wireless hook-up at the Johnson household. That means I can now use my laptop and work online while at home.

I've spent a little bit of time this morning working on this blogsite. It's my day off and it's also a blustery day. 'Blustery day' is code language for I'm not going outside. I should be working on a book, but just can't seem to get to it this morning.

I hope you like the few changes that I've made, adding more blogs on the main page along with the addition of the blogs that I'm reading myself. I've also taken the liberty of cleaning up some of my background material about myself. For example, Bend, Oregon is not located in Afghanistan.

Thanks again for your interest in reading some of my thoughts on my faith journey adventure!

Complete Amateurs Ride Again

I'm a little sad.

Tuesday night was my last "Matting & Framing" course through Central Oregon Community College. My buddy Tom and I started about five weeks ago (see "Complete Amateurs," October 16th). We learned how to mat and frame what we perceive to be extremely valuable scribbles on nice paper, bringing them into all of their intended glory. Okay, art truly is in the eye of the beholder and I think our 'beholder' is broke. The truth be told the phrase extremely valuable is quite relative as well. After all, one man's cow patty is another man's fuel for his fire. But that's not the point. We learned how to mat and frame.

Here's the whole class in a paragraph: Basically, you take your work of art down to the local mat and frame shop, ask how much it would be to mat and frame your piece, lay the artwork on the counter, ask how long it will take and come back to the store when they're finished matting and framing your piece. When you arrive back at the shop, inspect the finished piece, pay the man and take it out to your car and drive it home. I'm pleased to share that it only took five nights and 10 hours of instruction and practice to figure this out.

Hey, if I would have tried it on my own, who knows what damage I could have done to the piece? Probably ruined it. After arriving home, this is where my wife takes one look at the framed art and asks, "How much?" which is usually followed by the phrase, "What were you thinking?" But then, such is life sometimes...and sarcasm.

I really had a great time and did actually do justice to four pictures that were taken by my wife and I. Yes, I matted and framed four prints; one of the Oregon Coast (upper right picture) and three others of our boys playing football. They came out quite nicely. Yes, I can do this!

Part of the fun was being there with my friend. Tom and I have a great time together at pretty much everything we do. He's one of those guys who loves life and as a general rule sees the cup as half-full instead of half-empty. Funny, but positive people are more fun to be around than negative folks (I know, sounds kinda crazy doesn't it?). I guess I just don't have an appreciation for the gift of the 'wet blanket.' Folks with this gift suck the life out of you and tend to be derided in the Bible as well.

Such is not the case of the other personality in the room at art class. We have a new friend named Nancy. You know her. She's that person who comes across your path who loves to be with people. I wouldn't say that Nancy flits around the room like a social butterfly, but she can easily move in and out of numerous conversations with something interesting to say. She's always smiling, and can quickly grasp and enter into the sarcastic banter of two younger 40 something guys who look out of place in a room full of artsy, crafty women. She is a teacher, but has also been taking classes like this for about seven years. She also has a lavender business, making whatever people make out of that stuff. She made us laugh and Tom and I began to look forward to seeing her because she's fun.

The second night of class Nancy showed up with her new, 'mondo-every-guy-should-have-this' mat cutter. Fortunately, I nominated Tom to get one before he nominated me. You've got to be quick when it comes to 'manly purchases.' But I digress. We stood by with the others in the class as she set up her beastly contraption for the first time. We looked and looked and asked all of those questions that only serious art students ask such as, "How does it work?" and remark, "Wow, that thing is the bomb!" The humor is that Nancy, now the object of all the attention of the class turned out to be the kind of person who wouldn't cut her mats out in front of the class. I know that sounds funny but it's like having the hot car that you've just assembled and suddenly having an audience of strange people looking over your shoulder, waiting for you to light the engine for the first time. All the thoughts of, "What if it doesn't work? What if the thing catches fire?" You get the picture. Why use the thing and make a mistake when you could do the same at home and eventually practice and get it right?

But the whole scenario made it that much more fun to be with Nancy.

Her project for the class came out quite well. She assembled her own mat and frame (after a quick trip to the mat and frame shop to get samples!) and finished a work by her mother-in-law. Gorgeous!

And so there we were, Tom and I late to our last class on Tuesday. About 15 minutes late. We found out it takes 15 minutes to go to the local mini-mart before class to purchase two Sobe drinks and a pepperoni stick. Tom needed dinner (yes, he's the kind of guy who eats a package of those little powdered donuts and a Pepsi for breakfast). The class had shrunk from the original 14 down to about seven. As we were driving up to the class I said to Tom, "I wonder if Nancy is looking for us?" Sure enough, there she was looking out the window as we drove up. She held the door open as we brought out stuff in. She remarked something along the lines of, "What were you thinking trying to skip the last class?" And then the bantering began...

I'm going to miss yakking in class with Nancy.

The Christian life is a lot like this scenario. We need each other. We can quote passages like Proverbs 27:17 that says,

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. NIV

and Ecclesiastes 4:12 that says,

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. NIV

There are many other passages that speak to us of the importance of relationships, and how we enhance each other's lives. Valuing others adds value to my own life. How valuable are you?

Look Out, I'm Back...

I normally blog Monday through Thursday, but have missed the last two days because I was in Seattle attending the Seahawks vs the San Francisco 49ers football game. It was awesome, due to the fact that I am a Seattle fan.

What was funny about the game were the guys I was with. There were eight of us, me and seven guys from our church and Celebrate Recovery ministry. What a bunch of great guys! However, five of them were 49er fans, another wore his beloved Kansas City Chiefs jersey and still another showed up to Qwest Field sporting the only New Orleans Saints hat in 1,000 mile radius.

I was completely outnumbered. It turns out that all the 49er fans were as well as the 'Hawks throttled them 24-0. Wonders never cease... Hooray for our side!

The Bottom Line

There are a great many examples that come from the variety of activities that we are involved with that remind us of the importance of unity.

I go to the gym because I know that my buddy Jeff will be there to hold me accountable. I know as well that if he doesn’t show up, he’s getting an e-mail or phone call from me.

Yesterday’s newspaper had their once-a-week feature of public school students answering a question posed by the reporter. This time it was about why sports are important to you. All of the guys at Mountain View High School that were quoted said something along the lines of “brotherhood,” “team” and other unity themes.

I think about my marriage and the partnership that I have with my wife. We have to be in unity or our home will be in an uproar.

I think about our places of work. I’m reminded of the made-for-television movies a couple years ago about the beginning of Apple and Microsoft. It portrayed Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, ramping up a kind of contentious competition between his Apple and Macintosh divisions to further the success of the company. I wonder if that action created the right feel he was looking for? Business survives for the bottom line. But in order to reach sustainability with a bottom line, you must have a sense of harmony among your staff. That’s why teams have been so well received in business the last decade. They collect employees and turn them loose for innovation through process and…unity.

We need this sense of camaraderie in our lives, home and church. Here is what Philippians says,

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

I’m so glad that the 'Hokey Pokey' isn’t what it’s all about.

We need each other to grow up and mature in Christ…and in love and life. Without one another walking in unity the bottom line would be loneliness.

Don't Settle for the Twinkie

This morning at the "Pastor's Posse," my Wednesday morning men's group we were in our study in chapter three of John Ortberg's book, "The Life You've Always Wanted." Ortberg tells the story of a guy who is invited by his country to run the marathon in the next Olympics. The problem is that the fellow has not been training. The extent of his physical activity has been from the couch to the fridge to the cupboard, depending on how he likes his Twinkies; cold or room temperature. The point he makes is that we need to train in order to be good at something. Too many are merely trying; we need to be in training.

Wow, what an incredibly simple insight!

I was thinking about all the work I've been doing in the mornings at the gym. I walk on the instrument of torture, also known as the elliptical machine. I lift weights...I, I, I... But I'm not sticking to the right diet the rest of my day. Sadly, I've lately resorted to the traditional "see food" diet. That's right, I see the food and that's my diet.

This is not the way for me to go.

I felt convicted this morning that I've been wasting all of this time exercising these last several months and not been taking proper advantage of it. I need to view ALL of my activity as training instead of just PART of it. I'm stuck in that whole, "I worked out this morning so I can eat this," routine. This has to change immediately.

So I had a salami sandwich at lunch...

I know, it's hard for all of us to stay disciplined and keep our eye on the prize! It is so true of our spiritual life as well. If all we do in our spiritual walk is come to church on Sunday and forget about it the rest of the week, it is just like me at the gym. I'm putting my time in, but nothing seems to be progressing because instead of training I'm merely trying. This is the difference between "religion" and "relationship" with Christ. Religion functions as a separate sector or segment of a person's life. Relationship with Christ permeates ALL of our life. We settle for too little when we try when we can have it all when we train.

Don't settle for the Twinkie when you can have steak!

About Malicious Bloviating

Have you ever been to a sporting event, only to have it ruined by the loudmouth guy who can't keep his bloviator shut? I've heard those guys WAY too many times.

Last Thursday, I was that guy...

My oldest son Zach broke his collarbone a few weeks ago in a JV football game against a crosstown rival. It was bad enough that it happened, worse that it occurred against this specific school. Since then he's had surgery, a large quantity of pain killers and a ruined football season. The injury occurred after he threw a pass and was hit by a blitzing linebacker, snapping his clavicle on his collision with the ground. It was a late hit but there was no flag for roughing the quarterback, even after our coaching staff came unglued on the sideline. So finally, after several weeks Zach was finally feeling well enough to stand on the sideline to support his team...against the same crosstown rival. Yup, they played them a second time on their JV schedule.

That's when it happened...

My wife and I went to the game, and enjoyed being with the other parents that we've spent the season getting to know. Usually I spend the whole game keeping statistics, but when our son went down we hadn't been to a game for several weeks. So I came to the game without the clipboard, looking forward to enjoying a leisurely time sitting on the concrete bleachers of the local high school. My kid was obviously not playing, so there was no pressure and no pain as I was watching. I was completely minding my own business when something that is a fairly common occurrence took place. One of our wide receivers caught the ball on the sideline, took two steps out of bounds and was drilled in the back and into the hard rubber running track for the pole vault pit.

No flag for the late hit...

Suddenly, out of my mouth flew, "WHERE'S THE FLAG? YOU DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT TWO WEEKS AGO AND YOU DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT AGAIN!"

Oh my goodness...

Where in the world did that come from?? My wife gave me a quick shot with her elbow to my rib section. I don't know that I've ever done that before at a game on any level. I shocked me...and all those around me. I mean after all, here I am a pastor of a church taking out some sort of pent up frustration on an officiating crew that I don't know and have never met.

I calmed down...

A little while later in the second quarter, our quarterback was hit after the whistle and promptly had a flag thrown based on the actions of the offender.

And then I did it again...

In a "calm" voice, I suddenly, without control of any kind whatsoever, yelled at the top of my lungs, "IT'S ABOUT TIME! WHERE WERE YOU TWO WEEKS AGO??"

Oh my...

This time my wife got me with an even harder shot to the ribs. She turned around and said to the parents seated near us, "I think he's a little bitter." I didn't even realize it.

Here's the funny part. My kid gets his collarbone broken no matter what the referee calls. Secondly, I don't even know if these guys doing this game were the same officials as when he broke it. Thirdly, I had my calendar all messed up. I kept saying they missed it two weeks ago. Zach broke his clavicle three weeks ago.

And all the sudden, here I was, THAT GUY everyone hates to be near at the ball game...

I'm thinking to myself, "Is that guy really a pastor?" When we harbor bitterness in our hearts, we only hurt ourselves. "Hurt people, hurt people."

I shared the above story on Sunday to help everyone understand that we are all susceptible to bitterness. It's vitally important that we don't take up an offense, or allow a root of bitterness to enter in. The only one I hurt that afternoon was myself...and my embarrassed wife who was clearly not the target of my...stupidity. Pastor Rick Warren says that carrying resentment is like shooting ourselves and expecting the recoil of the gun to injure the other person. You're right, it makes no sense whatsoever. The Bible says in Ephesians,

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you."

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

You can take this one to the bank! Get rid of bitterness by realizing that we need forgiveness ourselves...from our own sin. Reveal the hurt, and let the peace of God invade where the bitterness has taken up space. It's a process...that is worth it all!

Cougars, Ducks and Clucks...

It was one long weekend for the Johnson clan!

Friday night was the civil war between Mountain View and Bend. The league championship was on the line as the two schools fought it out, with Mt. View barely pulling it out in the end. We like that because we're Mt. View parents. However, I think Bend won the end-game which was the easier schedule for the number two seed from the Intermountain Conference. I think the Lava Bears will get the last laugh as the Cougars will have a harder road to the final. And yes, it appears the two cross-town rivals could meet again...

My sons and I left after the game for Eugene and the Duck game against Arizona State. We arrive at 12:15 AM and stayed in a "lower end hotel chain" that left us permeated with cigarette smoke (we don't smoke). Whatever...it was a room! We got up before 6 AM to make it to the ESPN show, "College Gameday." That's where four talking heads get together in front of the backdrop of fans from the national game-of-the-week to give their picks for that day's slate of games. We love the show at the Johnson house (at least the guys do!) as we are college football fans. It was a privilege and great experience to be there at the crack of dawn. Actually it was before the crack of dawn and in the midst of freezing fog...and hands and feet and noses! Remember the next day was daylight savings! I don't think a rooster crowed in Eugene until about 10 AM when the fog lifted. We tailgated with some friends from Bend and went into the game in the late afternoon.

The game was outstanding with two top ten teams battling it out for the future possibility of going to the national championship game. The University of Oregon won and this morning were rated number three in the BCS poll. It was also my son Kyle's first college game. What a privilege to be at this one! Even though we had seats, three quarters of the game was spent on our feet with most of the stadium standing because of the intensity.

Sunday morning...well, that was pretty intense too! I spoke on the subject of Celebrate Recovery in the area of taking up offenses. Actually, it was mostly curriculum from Rick Warren and was quite excellent but hard hitting.

Yes, there were several "hufrumps," which is the sound that people make when they are confronted by their coddled sin(s) as they get up to flee during a sermon.

Yes, I do feel bad when that happens. I'm sad to say that this coming Sunday will be part two of the same message and we'll probably have a light crowd. It's too real for some folks. And as I shared my own story of harboring an offense I demonstrated that I'm certainly not immune either.

The highlight of the service was when my friend Paul got up and spoke during the message about what Celebrate Recovery has meant to him. At the conclusion he shared about how, with the Lord's help, it has created an environment for him to re-connect with his daughter that he was estranged from for the last 10 years. Awesome, awesome, AWESOME!

One of the key struggles for any church is having a spirit of religion. That means we want everything tied up in a neat little package where we come to church. We want to sing our three hymns and listen to a nice message of how great we are and then go out feeling good. We want to come in, look at one another and proclaim, "I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay."

The problem is that often it's a lie and the reason why some will get a case of the hufrumps.

We maintain that lie by hanging onto some comfortable memories in our church life where we were doing well and feeling no pain. Over time somehow we got it in our heads that sin could be coddled within the bowels of church life. You know, talking about others with great Christian concern (gossip), taking up offenses...whatever. Some think that because we go to church we can do that stuff because we think we've got it covered. The problem is, God still hates that behavior, that spirit. The Bible calls it sin. We may even believe that it is sin...that someone else has a problem with. And so some will duck and cover because change is too painful.

And we wonder why our kids are so messed up...

Okay, I'm not talking about anyone who would read this blog, or anyone within the church in all of Central Oregon. I'm talking about people in a church 1,000 miles away and a hundred years ago. Dealing with sin is hard for those people. But their outcome when they reject a spirit of religion and get real with God is freedom, liberty and a healthy church and home.

Thank God for His Word and Celebrate Recovery!

We concluded the weekend by celebrating our daughter Lauren's birthday. She was very excited about her gifts and arriving at another milestone of age in a young person's life. We're terribly proud!

1,000 HIts

I've just posted the latest blog below and noted from the counter that I've received my 1,000th hit sometime this morning or last night.

Wow, thanks!

It must be noted that half of the hits are probably mine, as I continually come back and fix grammatical errors and shorten sentences that continue to go on forever and ever...and ever. At least of third of the hits are likely my mother (hi Mom!) who is trying to squeeze any tidbit of news about her grandkids out of any source that's available. Nevertheless, I am honored that you've shared this new adventure in my life with me, which started the first week of August. Thanks to the handful of you who have left comments. In fact, I would encourage everyone to leave comments but understand that I don't always write on things worth reflecting on. But thanks all the same for your participation. At least I've had the counter to let me know that you're at least interested.

Blessings,

Pastor Mike

But Wait, There's More...

I'm having a really good day!

This morning's workout was excellent, and I survived even though I played 18 holes of golf yesterday with Pastor Dick Stein, our Celebrate Recovery guy. It was a great time, but the issue of all that walking and then more of the same this morning did not really compute. That's the difference of several months of getting up five days a week and going to the gym, especially on those days when you don't want to. And when I got home I was down again on the scale.

It feels like the heavens have parted and the angels are singing. But wait, there's more...

Since I was down, I decided that I would test the waters of trying on the pants that didn't fit three weeks ago. I approached this encounter by faith. I put on a shirt and sweater that went with these pants I haven't been able to get into in two years. I put on the matching socks. I picked out the right belt and shoes. And then the moment of truth. One leg of denim and then the next. It was a miracle. The button and the hole intersected at the same location somewhere below my belly button (BTW, I "wear" my pants as opposed to the current trend of allowing them to hang inappropriately south of my waistline, thank you very much!). It was wonderful. My wife was on the phone when I came downstairs and modeled the old jeans for her, doing the "spin move" not once but twice. Still on the phone, she high-fived me and silently laughed.

Obviously this is what marriage is all about. But wait, there's more...

I went to the dentist this morning for my pre-"you're getting a crown on tooth number 12" appointment. I'm still having some issues with infection from a week and a half ago's root canal. No crown work today. Have I hit the mother lode or what? I know what you're thinking...this one is going to bite me in a couple of weeks, but today I'm walking on a cloud!

But wait, there's more...

I'm incredibly excited about this weekend's message in our series on Celebrate Recovery! This is one of the important things that we do here at Faith in helping people overcome their stuff. We all have stuff, just some of us have too much to hide. Some have their stuff overflow from the closet into the living room for all to see. Others have their stuff hidden quite neatly away, but they've come to the place that it is time to deal with it before it turns completely nasty. Sometimes after preaching on Sundays I wonder if I haven't opened my closet door for everyone to see...but then again that's another blog.

But wait, there's more...

The day isn't over yet! Because I know Jesus Christ I've come to understand that the best is always yet to come. I'm so looking forward to that! Check this out:

12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Titus 2:12-14 New Living Translation

But wait, there's more...

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 NIV

But wait, there's more? Nah, don't wait. Give your heart to Jesus NOW...