God Sightings in this Transition

I love that faith grows stronger and bolder by reviewing  what God has already done.  It’s one of the reasons I enjoy reading Bible history.  One can read of faith in action —or the lack thereof— and learn from giants or wimps of the faith.

We’re seeing God at work at every turn in this latest transition.  I’m going to list them for my benefit now, and a few months or couple years down the road when I re-read these paragraphs.  Perhaps these observations will bolster your faith too.

Don’t let anyone tell you God’s not at work these days.
He’s alive and well, working in
working for
and working through His people!

—

• I’ve been privileged to work alongside Dan Forness at Spring Creek Church in a ministry venue much like the one I led in Delafield and like the one I hope to develop in Gering.  My demo video with SCC choir and orchestra demonstrated exactly what Gary is hoping we’ll one day see at Calvary Memorial.  SCC is several times the size of CMC.  The result:  I’m prepared and confident for growth out West, even if it comes quickly.  (Rapid growth isn’t one of my goals, but a possibility.  I’m ready.)
• While frusting until we saw what He was doing, God cleared Calvary’s slate of candidates and withheld any serious responses from my 200+ resumes so that when we connected we were each the only one on each other’s radar screens.
• Pastor Gary and I exchanged several short emails the Monday after Mother’s Day.  I didn’t know it at the time but he had an elder meeting that night and took print-outs of the things I’d sent him to that meeting.  Talk about Divine timing! Once the board gave him the green light to procede things moved quickly.
• Gary and Rachel, Brenda and I went to the same school… er-um …a hundred years ago.  We know and respect each other from way-back.
• The Defining Moments series I’m teaching in Joint Heirs (life-group at Spring Creek Church) is remarkably relevant in light of the changes we and others in the class are anticipating.  When I agreed to teach Joint Heirs last year I didn’t know how long we’d be in SE Wisconsin.  Teaching each week had me in good shape to teach/preach in Gering on our interview weekend.
• Interest in our home has been brisk, even though the market itself isn’t all that great.  Thankful!
• We’re moving in a semi-trailer!  Plenty of room for a change.  Because the truck comes with a driver (an elder from Calvary)  we’ll be able to get both cars out west easily.
• One of our maintenance concerns on the house was easily cared for, and at a fraction of the cost I imagined!  Thanks for looking out for us, Lord!
• My temporary position as documentation coordinator can “ramp-out” soon before we leave so I have time to tend to last-minute things before our move.
• July 30 – at least as of today, the house we like best out West is still on the market!   I’ve decided to be bold (Heb 10.19-24) and ask God to hold it for us. 

(more to come)

Positions Open: Divine Courier

If you’re in a position where you are called upon to give-give-give, you know how quickly we wear out.  It could be a special needs child, a difficult class, a demanding mate, an unsatisfiable boss, _____(enter your situation here)______.

I wrote to encourage a friend early this morning. His is a constantly-give situation.  His dad’s health is failing, mom already in glory, and he’s the sole care-provider for his dad, freelancing and looking for employment all at once.  It occurred to me that what I shared with him may be useful in a broader context.  Here’s my note, slightly edited. Perhaps these thoughts will encourage you too.

-=-=-=-=-

I learned something valuable a few years ago that may come in handy now with your dad, as well as with others you give to day after day. The concept is that of being a courier, nothing more, and stems from the concept in Galatians 2.20

“It’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives through me”.

Here’s the rationale:

• I in my own strength am not man enough to love these people the way they need to be loved.  I just don’t have it in me some days.

• My reserves are not large enough, and my motives too easily become skewed.
• God’s love, on the other hand, is boundless and His supply more than adequate for today’s needs.
• The best approach (perhaps the only way to survive these conditions)  is for me to come to God first thing in the morning, asking “what would you like me to carry to them today?” He’ll point it out, I’ll take it to them. Then I come back… “What next, Lord?” and He sends me with the next thing they need. All day it’s like that:
  What next?   . . .   Here you go.
  God supplies, I’m His runner.

Somehow, being the delivery boy never grows wearisome. There are smiles and appreciation at both ends of the route.

-=-=-=-=-

God has quite a few openings for the position of Divine Courier  if you’re interested.

My Thankful Heart

I don’t think there’s a more grateful guy in all of SE Wisconsin today.

God has answered my prayers and the prayers of family & scores of friends. We received the call yesterday that Calvary Memorial Church in Gering, Nebraska had voted after church on Sunday morning —an overwhelming majority— and I was invited to join their ministry team as Associate Pastor.

During the afternoon I listened carefully to my heart, the words and sentiments of those closest to me, Brenda especially, and made sure God had confirmed everything in my thinking.  When I knew I had no mis-givings, no second-thoughts, peace about the decision, I called Pastor Gary Hashley.  “You’ve got a new associate!”

I’m so thankful, especially when I remember how many I know who are out of work, whose primary job has become looking for one, who wonder how they’re going to make ends meet when reserves run dry.

More detail will follow as the days and weeks progress and as the time draws closer for us to relocate.  There are some busy weeks coming; I’m bracing myself for the rush.

Today, though, I’m thankful.  Just thankful:

• For a God Who knows. And Loves. Forgives.  Heals. Builds.  Leads. And Guides – flawlessly.  A God of detail and perfect timing.
• For a wife who stands by me,  prays for and believes in me even when there are tons of questions in view and no  answers.
• For kids and kids-in-law who watch with interest, pray like crazy, and give God the room to be God, even when He scripts things differently than they would.
• For a mom and parents in-law who put feet to their faith and held us up through this transition, listened to me dream, watched my plans change -and again- and believed in me while they prayed for us – every day.
• For siblings who wanted to know the details so they could pray in detail, and did.  Do.  Will.
• For two guys, one on my right, one on my left, who listen, advise, help me think, and walk through life with me when I’d just as soon walk around the difficult parts.
• For friends and colleagues who pray and encourage, who draw the best out of me, make me smile even when I’m about out of smiles, and celebrate the victories with me – including this one.
• For our church here – Spring Creek Church – that said “Serve as long as you’re here.  We need you.”  while giving God the freedom to call the plays.   Worship Ministries and our life group, Joint Heirs, have been wonderfully accepting and supportive.  What’s the body of Christ in action look like?   Like THAT!!
• For a church out west that remembers how God worked when we were there before, believes the results this next go ’round could be even greater than last time,  and voted  “Aye” yesterday afternoon.

These two words I’m using a lot lately hardly seem up to the task, but they’re the best I know:

I Love Sundays

I have a date today.  I’m so excited!

We get to be together, talk to each other, it’s going to be wonderful!

(But I thought you were already married—)

I am – Brenda and I celebrated 31 years together earlier this month, and we’re trusting God for many more enjoyable years to come.  Because I’ve placed my trust in Jesus Christ, though, I’m part of the church, the bride of Christ and we have a date this morning.  I LOVE Sundays!  It’s like spending time with the one I’m engaged to — a date, almost.

Some of the songs we’ll sing today are about Him (what bride-to-be doesn’t enjoy talking about her love?)

Some of the songs we’ll sing today are to Him (I love that He hears me when I come to Him).

I get to learn more about what He likes so I can do those things more, and what He doesn’t like so I do those things less (or not at all).

I want to be sure to tell Him how much I love Him today – let my heart show so when people look over and observe me, there’s no doubt.  I’m in love.  In fact one of the songs we’ll sing today says ” all that thrills my soul is Jesus – He is more than life to me.”   SO true!

I hope we’ll have a few moments of quiet today where I can enjoy just being with Him.  We do that every morning, but there’s something about Sundays that make me look forward to the morning.

Yep, Sunday is my favorite day of the week!

God Is At Work –

We have a framed saying in our dining room:

I believe in the sun,
even when it is not shining.

I believe in love,
even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God,
even when He is silent.

It was discovered written on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp.
What encouraging words, realizing the conditions in which they were penned!

God is at work – even though we may not see exactly what He’s up to.

D. T. Niles Tells of a service being held in a cathedral in Norway. Bishop Bergraav was preaching.  Worshipers had noticed that the  ceiling was low in proportion to the rest of the building. During the sermon Bishop Bergraav told the congregation that the ceiling which they saw was not the true ceiling.  It was the working floor for artists who were painting the life of our Lord on the true ceiling.  Some day the working floor would be taken down and then they would see what the artists had been doing.

As we look up and try to see what God is doing in our world, we are tempted to feel disappointed.  We look for soaring arches, delicate stone work, and a height that reminds us of infinity.  But one day our working floor will be taken away, and then we will see what the Great Artist has been doing.

E. Paul Hovey – The Treasury of Inspirational Anecdotes, Quotations and Illustrations, ©1959, 1987 by Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, MI

.

In a personal sense, I’ve wondered what God is painting up there for months now.   It’s possible, and I’m hoping, that He’ll make His mind and will clear this weekend as we interview for a ministry position in Nebraska.   While it pales in comparison with the glory that is to be revealed when He returns for His own, I’m anticipating what He might have for our next chapter.

I used to think the way it worked was for me to map everything out, real responsible-like and ask God to initial at the bottom of the page. That’s not how He works and I’ve learned to avoid that approach.  He and I have had some long,  quiet conversations and we both know God can say “I’m just checking to see if you’re willing, but not here”  — and He and I will be fine.  He is calling the plays, not me.

In all honesty, I am hoping and asking that He throw  the doors wide open for this opportunity and opens the drapes to let His light flood the room.  I’d like to hear Him say “Here you go, child, I’ve been working on this for months.  Are you ready to work hard, love my people, draw on all I’ve shown you and teach them?  Here’s your assignment. Serve me well. Here. Now.”    I’m hoping that’s what He’ll do in coming days.  If He does, I’ll tell you all about it.  If not, I’ll still follow Him close. Real close. It’s safest there.

You’re probably waiting for Him to show you what He’s been doing out of sight over your head too, aren’t you?

God can be trusted.  He is at work.  Even when (especially when) all you see is a low ceiling when you look up.  Don’t lose heart.

Quality Assurance on a Personal Level

A friend of mine says, tongue-in-cheek, that life gets pretty interesting sometimes when you’re married to the Holy Spirit.  His wife just smiles and shakes her head when he says that.  She probably tolerates his saying so because she knows the trouble he’d be in if she just let things go!

I’m currently on a temporary assignment to the Quality Assurance team at one of GE Healthcare’s facilities. I’ve gotten the distinct impression that this team, in many ways, is like “the company conscience”.   Since I wrote about the conscience a few days ago I thought I might reflect on it a bit more from another vantage point.

I’ve seen some interesting things the weeks I’ve been there so far.  Attempted end-around’s,  ideas that appear to be compliance not really complying at all. I’ve also seen teachability, genuine working together, the whole gamut.  This team of eight or nine people have been tasked with making sure things are done right at this facility, complete with adequate training, proper documentation, accurate interpretation of work instructions, CAPA procedures (Corrective Action, Preventive Action),  the change process — it’s comprehensive.

It seems Quality Assurance is there to assure that quality is un-compromised. That any discomfort the organization feels comes from within on the way to compliance, rather than from the outside during an FDA audit.  This team takes its job serious. It has even gone to the trouble of scheduling an internal mock FDA audit,  the objective being to discover areas of need so they can fix things before they become what they call a “finding”.  (I hear it’s going to be quite the experience.)

While I won’t over-spiritualize the setting, this all reminds me of something the apostle Paul wrote to a church with a troubled conscience:

1 Cor. 11:31
But if we examine ourselves, we will not be examined by God and judged in this way.

How’s your personal Quality Assurance team?  Are there people close to you to whom you can turn when you wonder if something you’re doing is in compliance with the Word?  Do you have a handful of friends, your husband or wife being one of them, who have permission to say “This is out of spec; you need to correct it and put some thing in place to keep it from recurring” ?  These close friends should be able to help you “come into compliance” and make it the norm.  Take it from me, some discomfort now sure beats heartache and loss later.  Plus, there’s a lot of freedom in being able to say “Look all you want, I believe you’ll find everything is in order.”

Maybe being married to the Holy Spirit isn’t as bad as it sounds.

Something to think about — and do.

How Difficult it Must Have Been

Hannah – Elkanah – Peninnah & her children apparently all lived under one roof.
That had to have been difficult.

Yesterday in our Joint Heirs life-group / ABF  we talked about Hannah’s defining moment (1 Samuel 1 &2) as it related to her unfulfillment (inability to have children).

The question surfaced as we talked about Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife,
“What did Hannah call her?”

Was Peninnah her half-wife?  step wife?  “the other woman”?
I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been.

What do you think?  Is there a “title” for such a relationship?

What tension!

Ironically, as a bit of a post-script, I think the tension probably intensified the overwhelming joy that washed over Hannah when she finally held tiny little Samuel in her arms, God’s answer to her prayers.

Something to think about —

Some Helpful, Forthright Insight

I heard a Bible College instructor say one morning a few years ago that it’s frustrating sometimes — the best of intentions and selfish ambition can exist in the human heart at one and the same time.  He gave an example:

“I can prepare and teach y’all this morning (he’s from Alabama, so he says “y’all” just right) hoping what we learn together will make you stronger and more effective. At the same exact moment I can hope I do such a good job that I’m regarded as one of our church’s best teachers – maybe THE best.   And the latter misses the mark”

He had some good thoughts on how to prevent the mixture of good and selfish that day.  I talked with him briefly a little later; his was good insight.

Today I read a short article, just as honest, just as helpful.  When a teacher or pastor’s heart is pursuing hard after God, the less time elapses between sin and confession/forgiveness the better.

Read it and see what you think.

[ link ]

I believe this author has identified a real and present risk.  Additionally, he’s identified a handful of ways to prevent enemy sniper-fire from taking one out while teaching or preaching.  These principles work in class, in the pulpit, leading worship, moderating a church meeting -  Good stuff!

Selah – (think about it)

Opulence Incarnate

It’s no secret. I like fountain pens.

If I had the wherewithal I’d have a few more than I do.

A fountain pen is jewelry in a way, only it does more than peek out of your pocket at the curious, or pique the attention of someone who watches you sign something. A guy can write with a fountain pen. The ink flows as fast as you can think.

But I’m afraid this one is over the top. This is opulence.

$20,000.00 -   for a pen, even if it is solid gold, in a world where people are starving, where people in our country are looking for work they can’t find, where missionaries are coming home because support levels have dropped …  Sorry.
No sale.

If I had the money I’d put it to a different —I’d like to think better— use.

You get what you emphasize…

If you work with, live with, travel with, play with, or attempt to lead PEOPLE you already know the challenge of getting behavior you want from the people you work, live, travel, play with – or try to lead.

Someone once asked Leonard Bernstein how he got what he did from the orchestras he conducted.

“I get what I want  -  because I want it,”  he smiled.

Most of us don’t spend much time on the conductor’s podium, even figuratively.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t need, or at least want, certain behaviors from the people around us.

So how do you get the behaviors you want?

I’m no psychologist or anything but pragmatically speaking, I’d like to suggest that we get from others what we emphasize.

Mr Lind coached high school basketball in a small Nebraska town over 35 years ago.  I admired him. He was soft-spoken and gentle, yet exacting. He used a phrase or concept often:  ThaT – was good.  Three words was all it took to tell you coach noticed and coach approved.  Late in the fourth quarter one time, when we stole the ball from our opponents and headed for our end of the floor, fast-breaking for all we were worth, one opponent managed to get between our two players.  Tom put a back-spin on the ball so it SLID on the floor a few feet before Jeff scooped it up and laid it in for two points.  Coach leaped from the bench and remembered in mid-air that it’s a technical foul if the coach stands up on the sidelines (at least that was the rule at the time).   He landed in a crouched position shouting ” Yess!!  THAT was GOOD!!”   The guys smiled and wiped the sweat from their eyes, ready to steal the ball again.  Coach Lind tried to ease from his crouched position back onto the first bleacher without getting called for a technical.  So was that,”  the ref grinned, and put his whistle back in his mouth as he trotted past.   I don’t even remember if we won that game or not.  But I DO remember the way Coach got us to play for him – we felt great when “that was good” was meant for us.

Directing church choirs and orchestras is interesting in that same way.  I want the best from those groups when I lead.  The majority of rehearsal time is spent on fixing mistakes – getting things right.  But these people are volunteers.  Which means if I rant and rave, scream and yell, over time I’ll lose the very group I’m trying to lead.  It doesn’t cost them anything to decide not to come  back next season — or next week.  So I do in a volunteer setting what should be done overall.  I say things like  “Yes – JUST like that.”   or  “Remember how you all did that same pattern in such and such a song?  Do that same thing here.”   Emphasizing what you’re after, identifying the skill or behavior you want, draws it from the people you’re working with.

We know it works with puppies we train, don’t we?  It takes lots of  “Good Dog”s, and lot’s of “No-no”s – but the more “Good-Dog”s the better.

I recently witnessed a situation where a manager had an issue with an employee’s attitude.  They talked one on one, which was good. The manager filed a discipline form, which was his prerogative, but then the manager posted a large sign in an employee area anonymously pointing out the negative behavior and scolding that attitude.  It won’t have a positive effect on the staff, I can assure you.  Suspicion will increase,  probably gossip or conjecture as well,  but not positive behavior.  Shaming people into right behavior seldom works long-term.

I’ve been thinking about this concept recently, so smiled to myself when Brenda re-enforced that positive behavior thing — with me.   We both had long days today.   I had a rehearsal tonight, and she had grocery shopping to do. Somewhere in there we needed to have dinner. Talking is important at our house, especially now, with all that’s going on, so I suggested we grocery shop together and pick up something to eat on the way home.  If we have time we can eat-in,  if not we can take it home.   As we pulled into the drive she said to me “Thanks for coming shopping with me.”

“No problem,” I answered, ” it was good talk time.”  And it was, we talked about a lot while we shopped.

Her little compliment is going to bring on more of the same behavior, even when it’s crazy-busy at our house.  Partly because I like being with her, partly because I know she enjoys when I spend time with her like that.

So what kind of behavior are you wanting from the people around you?

Try waiting quietly for something good to happen and as soon as it does say, “Yeah. Like ThaT!  Thanks for ______________. “

It’s more fun.  Plus it works.
We usually get what we emphasize.