American society seems to place a heavy emphasis on success. There are championship contests: World Series, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four. We have indictors of success: large homes, fancy cars, big SUVs, expensive clothes. But is success really defined by having the most, the biggest, or the most expensive?
How about failure? If one does not have a Super Bowl ring, 3000+ sq. ft. house, Mercedes SUV, or Christian Dior, are you a failure? Or do you have a different standard for measuring success? Does God have a standard for determining success?
Would we consider Moses, Solomon or Job a success? What about Peter, Thomas, or Paul? One could pick any person from the Bible and ask this question after reading about the individual. Given the broad spectrum of people mentioned in the Bible, it would seem God has a very different standard for determining success or failure.
Saturday evening, Pagus presented the "Splendor and Holiness" seminar. The Pagus Event Staff had worked to find and secure a facility based on their faith in God and purchased ad time from the leading, local Christian radio station serving the audience Pagus would like to reach. The staff worked to create quality, professional looking promotional material about Pagus and the seminar. The staff devoted several days to in-person contact with area churches instead of mailing the promo material. The Pagus volunteer staff came Saturday evening to support the seminar by taking on the small but important jobs. All was ready! Open the doors, let the masses come and bask in the presentation of God's Splendor and Holiness!
Cue the chirping crickets.
Pagus had scheduled, promoted, and planned for a successful seminar based on their belief in God's leadership. Not as many people showed up as planned for; too many handouts printed, and a large venue filled with a handful of people. One of the presenters, at 5 minutes after the scheduled start time, said "This is an ouch moment". The director of the venue encouraged the Pagus staff to give the presentation since "every\thing was paid for". The presentation was given and the stage with its red velvet curtain provided an impressive back drop for the volunteer videographers to capture the presentation.
Did Pagus fail or did God provide success? From a human viewpoint, Pagus failed since the required number of attendees to break even did not appear, hours had been invested in feet-to-the-ground promotion, the radio ad did not produce anticipated results and the beautiful Broken Arrow PAC was wasted on a handful of people.
What is not seen is the number of people who will potentially be witnessed to by Pagus moving forward with what they believe is God's direction for Pagus. What about the contacts made during in-person promotion? What about the networking potential of the radio sales manager? What about the pastors who expressed an interest in having Pagus speak at their church? What about the potential for the video to touch people?
The potential for God to use each of us is unlimited because we cannot understand how He will take our perceived failure and create success for Himself. Let me throw out a Biblical example or two: Job, Paul, Peter, Thomas. As humans, we have difficulty with limiting a limitless God. We like things to be solid, touchable, and definable. All properties opposite of who and what God is considering He created the heavens from nothing just by speaking.
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I'm still surprised after all these years
Recently I have experienced a life event associated with work. The event requires me to exercise my faith in God's ability to provided. This past Sunday our pastor presented 2 excellent sermons on faith: "What Faith Knows" based on Mark 4:35-41 and "Faith by Example" from Luke 22:31-34. These sermons were exactly what I needed at the moment.
I don't know why I'm surprised that God would speak through someone to provide words of comfort and encouragement. I find I'm still surprised that God still speaks to me personally even after hearing so many beneficial sermons. I'm sure others experience this surprise.
It is not surprising that God cares for each and every believer. This is a characteristic of His being and nature. His word clear states God is concerned about our well-being. A classic example is Matthew 6:25-34. What about God's provision for His people in the wilderness? Think about it for at least a second: sandals that don't wear out, enough food to feed all the people provided each morning, and water from a rock.
I hope I never get to where I'm not surprised how God takes care of us. I think that would be stop me from being thankful and appreciative of God's care.
Author's note: In case your interested in the major points of the 2 sermons. The sermon titles and point titles are from the pastor. The wording is from my notes.
What Faith Knows Mark 4:35-41
I don't know why I'm surprised that God would speak through someone to provide words of comfort and encouragement. I find I'm still surprised that God still speaks to me personally even after hearing so many beneficial sermons. I'm sure others experience this surprise.
It is not surprising that God cares for each and every believer. This is a characteristic of His being and nature. His word clear states God is concerned about our well-being. A classic example is Matthew 6:25-34. What about God's provision for His people in the wilderness? Think about it for at least a second: sandals that don't wear out, enough food to feed all the people provided each morning, and water from a rock.
I hope I never get to where I'm not surprised how God takes care of us. I think that would be stop me from being thankful and appreciative of God's care.
Author's note: In case your interested in the major points of the 2 sermons. The sermon titles and point titles are from the pastor. The wording is from my notes.
What Faith Knows Mark 4:35-41
- God cares - God cares about your daily "stuff"
- God can - Deep faith knows God can handle "it"
- God controls - Faith knows God is in control even if we don't
- Pray for another's faith - Jesus prayed for Peter
- Encourage another's faith - Jesus encouraged Peter to strength others
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Christians in the wild and their natural habitat
As a child, I regularly watched “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom”. “Wild Kingdom” was one of the first shows to bring exotic, remote areas of the world into people’s living rooms. Also, people got to see the animals in their native habitat and view the animal’s behavior. The show provided people a method of determining how a tiger differs from a cheetah or a zebra from a horse.
Over the last year, my LTS (Long Term Spouse) and I have been seeking a new church home. We have found a potential “home” that we have been attended for several months. This has given us the opportunity to view Christians in their natural habitat. Within this habitat, a lot of different Christians exist: babes, teenagers, mature, and senior.
This Christian family contains people who are emotional, some who are extroverted, some who are quiet and some who are vocal. But the common thread is they all belong to Christ through his blood, death, and resurrection. Whatever a Christian’s “style” is, one objective, for each Christian, remains constant: can you be identified as a Christian. We all at one time or another may exhibit non-Christian behavior which may allow us to show non-Christians we are not perfect.
Just think of a tiger: sometimes agile, quiet and other times clumsy, noisy. The basic nature of the tiger is to be agile and quiet but every once in awhile the tiger will stumble. A tiger doesn’t just sit down and admit failure. Instead the tiger continues on but learns from his mistake and to be careful. Christians should follow the tiger’s example: learn from our mistakes. We should not just sit down because of failure but continue because of it.
A great example of continuing on after a failure is Peter. Talk about a BIG boo-boo. Peter was in daily contact with Jesus and Peter still denied he knew Christ. But Peter was a rock on which the church was built. Also, Jesus had no doubts about Peter. In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Peter to “strength your brothers” when you have turned back. After Peter was “knocked down”, Jesus expected Peter to get up, dust himself off, and minister to people.
Christians live in a hostile habitat containing obstacles, perils, and worries. We should always be mindful that someone is watching and studying us in the wild (the world) and in our natural habitat (the church). Our objective should be a daily effort to be identified as a Christian.
Over the last year, my LTS (Long Term Spouse) and I have been seeking a new church home. We have found a potential “home” that we have been attended for several months. This has given us the opportunity to view Christians in their natural habitat. Within this habitat, a lot of different Christians exist: babes, teenagers, mature, and senior.
This Christian family contains people who are emotional, some who are extroverted, some who are quiet and some who are vocal. But the common thread is they all belong to Christ through his blood, death, and resurrection. Whatever a Christian’s “style” is, one objective, for each Christian, remains constant: can you be identified as a Christian. We all at one time or another may exhibit non-Christian behavior which may allow us to show non-Christians we are not perfect.
Just think of a tiger: sometimes agile, quiet and other times clumsy, noisy. The basic nature of the tiger is to be agile and quiet but every once in awhile the tiger will stumble. A tiger doesn’t just sit down and admit failure. Instead the tiger continues on but learns from his mistake and to be careful. Christians should follow the tiger’s example: learn from our mistakes. We should not just sit down because of failure but continue because of it.
A great example of continuing on after a failure is Peter. Talk about a BIG boo-boo. Peter was in daily contact with Jesus and Peter still denied he knew Christ. But Peter was a rock on which the church was built. Also, Jesus had no doubts about Peter. In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Peter to “strength your brothers” when you have turned back. After Peter was “knocked down”, Jesus expected Peter to get up, dust himself off, and minister to people.
Christians live in a hostile habitat containing obstacles, perils, and worries. We should always be mindful that someone is watching and studying us in the wild (the world) and in our natural habitat (the church). Our objective should be a daily effort to be identified as a Christian.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Putting it all Together Part 11 - Preaching to Myself and Other Drowning Rats
Then there are the days. . .Days when you wonder if this thing you set out to do will ever happen. If you have bitten off more than you can chew and think that you are going to choke on the bones. I would be lying to you if I said there is point in time when you get over it. If there is, I haven’t found it.
As most of you know we are putting together an event in February called Splendor and Holiness, and at the beginning we were all excited. Electrified might be a better word. We had carefully planned and prayed over our topic, we identified the need for Christians to learn more about worship, what it is and how to engage in it, and we had the means to make it happen. Several of our friends supported us as we fleshed out the idea, so we jumped. It was easy and it felt like flying, for awhile.
But something happens on the way to the realization of a dream. For those of us who have figured out how to dream and given ourselves permission to dream, that is the fun part. What isn’t so fun are the times that you wonder just how big of a fool are you going to look like if it doesn’t happen?
I think that sometimes as Christians we are told that following God’s lead should be easy, everything should fall into place with supernatural precision, and sometimes it does. Those are the great times, and you know you can’t fail. However, more often than not there is a time when everything seems to stop and you are left dangling over a cliff, waiting for something, anything to happen. God gets real quiet, and you realize just how big of a chance you took.
This is the place where most of us give up, where we think that we had a delusional moment and made a mistake. After all if we are serving God shouldn’t it be easier, safer? We begin to doubt our ability and God’s faithfulness. So pack it up, retreat to safer ground, and tell ourselves and our friends our excuses for why we stopped. I would be lying if I said I have not felt this way about the February event.
We have had many people say that they would be there, and we have had a few register, but there is an image of a theater in Muskogee with only a handful of people that I just can’t shake. It makes me feel a little sick to my stomach, and I worry if I will disappoint the friends that I have convinced to help me. Some bit of self preservation is screaming to get out while there is still time, keep my dignity intact.
In my more rational moments I have to wonder exactly where we got the idea that following God had anything to do with dignity. The truth is a lot of the time when God called people to great things the first thing they had to abandon was dignity. Noah built a stupid boat in his front yard, David danced through the streets in his underwear, the cowardly Gideon declared he could lead and army to victory, Hosea married a woman that would have shamed a sailor, and Peter made a fool of himself more times than I can count.
Maybe that is why these guys are our favorites. We all know what it is like to fall flat on our faces and make fools of ourselves. They took a risk, they even looked foolish as they did it, but they succeeded. They are remembered as men of faith and courage.
I have to wonder exactly what did Peter think as he lowered himself over the side of that boat. Did he leap out onto the waves with no fear? Or did he shake as he gripped tightly to the hull? Did he play out all the scenarios of how badly this could end for him? Or did he just see the chance to do what his Lord was doing? The Bible says that Peter saw the wind and was afraid. In that moment he began to sink, and I wonder how far down he got before he totally freaked out. Sometimes we see the pictures of Jesus pulling something resembling a drowned rat from among the waves, and yet, I have been told that Peter never made it past ankle deep before Jesus saved him.
Either way, any of you who have fallen know that a split second is all you need to envision your untimely demise. We see the wind and know the distance we have left to travel before we reach our destination. We feel the pressure of having to navigate the waves, and begin to doubt we will be able to do it. We feel the eyes of all the smart people who stayed on the boat and know they are thinking what fools we are while envying their safety. The thing is we know that if we can make it, if we can reach out and touch the object of our desire, no boat will ever be good enough again.
And the truth is, we never wanted sit on the stinking boat to begin with. We wanted to be the One who needs no boat, the One who did great things, and now empowers us to risk great things on his behalf. Striking out for the place you believe God is leading you is scary, but it is exciting and the grandest adventure we can ever know. How many times do think Peter sat around a fire and told friends about that night? How many times do you think his friends asked, “Can he do that for me?” I want a story like that for my life. How about you?
Can you leave the boat, brave the waves, and ignore the wind? There are times when it is easy, and there are times when it is the hardest thing we will ever do, but the good news is if we fail, if our gaze should wander to the elements cause of us fear, there is One who doesn’t mind pulling us drowning rats from the abyss.
Hope to see you in February!
As most of you know we are putting together an event in February called Splendor and Holiness, and at the beginning we were all excited. Electrified might be a better word. We had carefully planned and prayed over our topic, we identified the need for Christians to learn more about worship, what it is and how to engage in it, and we had the means to make it happen. Several of our friends supported us as we fleshed out the idea, so we jumped. It was easy and it felt like flying, for awhile.
But something happens on the way to the realization of a dream. For those of us who have figured out how to dream and given ourselves permission to dream, that is the fun part. What isn’t so fun are the times that you wonder just how big of a fool are you going to look like if it doesn’t happen?
I think that sometimes as Christians we are told that following God’s lead should be easy, everything should fall into place with supernatural precision, and sometimes it does. Those are the great times, and you know you can’t fail. However, more often than not there is a time when everything seems to stop and you are left dangling over a cliff, waiting for something, anything to happen. God gets real quiet, and you realize just how big of a chance you took.
This is the place where most of us give up, where we think that we had a delusional moment and made a mistake. After all if we are serving God shouldn’t it be easier, safer? We begin to doubt our ability and God’s faithfulness. So pack it up, retreat to safer ground, and tell ourselves and our friends our excuses for why we stopped. I would be lying if I said I have not felt this way about the February event.
We have had many people say that they would be there, and we have had a few register, but there is an image of a theater in Muskogee with only a handful of people that I just can’t shake. It makes me feel a little sick to my stomach, and I worry if I will disappoint the friends that I have convinced to help me. Some bit of self preservation is screaming to get out while there is still time, keep my dignity intact.
In my more rational moments I have to wonder exactly where we got the idea that following God had anything to do with dignity. The truth is a lot of the time when God called people to great things the first thing they had to abandon was dignity. Noah built a stupid boat in his front yard, David danced through the streets in his underwear, the cowardly Gideon declared he could lead and army to victory, Hosea married a woman that would have shamed a sailor, and Peter made a fool of himself more times than I can count.
Maybe that is why these guys are our favorites. We all know what it is like to fall flat on our faces and make fools of ourselves. They took a risk, they even looked foolish as they did it, but they succeeded. They are remembered as men of faith and courage.
I have to wonder exactly what did Peter think as he lowered himself over the side of that boat. Did he leap out onto the waves with no fear? Or did he shake as he gripped tightly to the hull? Did he play out all the scenarios of how badly this could end for him? Or did he just see the chance to do what his Lord was doing? The Bible says that Peter saw the wind and was afraid. In that moment he began to sink, and I wonder how far down he got before he totally freaked out. Sometimes we see the pictures of Jesus pulling something resembling a drowned rat from among the waves, and yet, I have been told that Peter never made it past ankle deep before Jesus saved him.
Either way, any of you who have fallen know that a split second is all you need to envision your untimely demise. We see the wind and know the distance we have left to travel before we reach our destination. We feel the pressure of having to navigate the waves, and begin to doubt we will be able to do it. We feel the eyes of all the smart people who stayed on the boat and know they are thinking what fools we are while envying their safety. The thing is we know that if we can make it, if we can reach out and touch the object of our desire, no boat will ever be good enough again.
And the truth is, we never wanted sit on the stinking boat to begin with. We wanted to be the One who needs no boat, the One who did great things, and now empowers us to risk great things on his behalf. Striking out for the place you believe God is leading you is scary, but it is exciting and the grandest adventure we can ever know. How many times do think Peter sat around a fire and told friends about that night? How many times do you think his friends asked, “Can he do that for me?” I want a story like that for my life. How about you?
Can you leave the boat, brave the waves, and ignore the wind? There are times when it is easy, and there are times when it is the hardest thing we will ever do, but the good news is if we fail, if our gaze should wander to the elements cause of us fear, there is One who doesn’t mind pulling us drowning rats from the abyss.
Hope to see you in February!
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