Life is good

My life is good. I planned it. Now it's by God's grace. Paul criticized some disciples for saying, "I will go to such and such a city and conduct business and make a profit." Rather say, "By God's grace I will go and do such and such."

I am so aware that my planning has come true by God's grace. Nevertheless I did plan this and by and large it has come to pass. I know how tenuous this is. Do not trust in goods that mold can rot. Money can rot quickly because of inflation or several kinds of financial disaster.

It's not quite what I hoped for 20 years ago. But it's pretty close. I had a plan, I worked the plan. Interest rates are sure not what we expected 20 years ago. But these things come it cycles. It's not totally unexpected.

That is why the lack of control on my Israeli trip was so startling. I know God's loves me because he worked to test me about how I would react to situations where I found myself desperately out of control. Would I still trust him and love him? I could have done better. But I knew God's presence in all that.

Part of life is good: I was reading in the WSJ that people are now using public hotel bars as a mobile offices. (Is that what WG does?) Some hotels think this is good for business and actually encourage it. It sets an ambiance that business travelers might see as friendly. These hotels have free wi-fi, great lighting, and sufficient plugs for laptops. If you are making a lot of phone calls you may have to take it outside. But it's a pretty cool idea. I should try the Hilton Americas down the road sometime.

But I have always planned to use my college library like that. It's going full circle. I used to hang out there when I was in high school, before I even matriculated there. Now I am hanging out there in my semi-retirement. I have a desk I always use. There is even a desk drawer. There is free wi-fi and a snack machine close by. But I always bring a lunch and some cold tea. It simulates going to an office to work. It helps to separate oneself from home.

I do some personal business, personal projects, personal reading, check email and Facebook. I don't do much corporate business but I do take some calls and email. More business people know my personal phone number than I'd like. I have no problem keeping busy for eight hours.

Then I might go to the gym on the way home. It's pretty cool.

Man proposes and God disposes. Each breath I take is a gift from God. Yet one still must have a plan. With no plan your plan cannot come true. As plans go my plan was pretty modest. It was a plan for retirement. I know a man from Hawaii who was very public about his plan to retire. He was working the plan while also living his life. His life included exercise for fitness and increasingly for adventure. While hiking a mountain pass he fell to his death. He was with a group. It was dangerous but he felt he had taken every precaution. Yet he died young, early 40's I think.

So one plans but one never knows how it will work out. We remember you RS, rest in peace.

today's sermon - healing

Today was our annual healing sermon. Or so it seems. I think DG preaches about once a year and it is always on emotional healing. Why? Because we need it. We likely had not done much since the last one.

DG spoke on having the courage to seek God about our healing. We do not want to face into the hard emotional work it will take to get healing. We must admit that we are broken and we need help. It takes courage to be vulnerable. It takes courage to seek prayer from a fellow human being. Yes, he says, we must include others in our healing. We cannot do it ourselves.

We have experienced external stresses that cause us to be broken. He listed shame, trauma, abuse, betrayal, and abandonment. We have emotional baggage. Perhaps the thing that jumped out at me was the comments about avoidance. I am very guilty there. I sure do a lot of avoidance. Why do I avoid certain movies and certain people? It has to do with emotional baggage, no doubt. But I don't know the details. I have not really wanted to know. Do I have the courage to ask God? Or others?

He spoke on spiritual exercises: prayer, Bible reading, quiet time. That I can do. He spoke of being part of the body of Christ, church going, Life Groups (small groups). That I can do too. But being vulnerable is pretty hard. Courage? Yeah perhaps that's it. Lack of courage.

I can always increase in my knowledge in God's love. I know partially that God is proud of me.

I spoke recently of all the challenges of travel during our July vacation. I know God wanted me to deal with issues of avoidance. Thank God he is still working with me.

DG spoke of opportunities to grieve. I have experienced some of those too and try to use them as opportunities for healing.

I always feel challenged after this annual sermon. The question is always how much am I going to do about it? I will do some.

testing - our vacation

I have probably gone over this before, but it bears another try.

I have the definite feel that on our July vacation trip we were tested. Every travel plan was messed up. Things did not go the way I planned. A lot of this was my fault, poor planning, poor leading on my part.

Also DW got sick and could not work on the mountain. She was not able to visit friends while in Kansas. It certainly did not turn out the way she expected it to.

Well, I am always tempted to think God is testing me because he is angry with me or he is disappointed in me. I have to struggle with those thoughts and feelings every time I face adversity. However we are told in scripture we are tested because he loves us. The testing is to get us closer to God and the perfection he wants for us. He is proud of us. But like any good daddy he wants us to grow. This is for our happiness and joy.

After thinking about it from a couple of weeks I can encourage myself that God took the time to test me because he loves me. He wants me to grow in ability, in grace. He is working to bring me higher. And he wants me to bless him in the midst of it.

At the time it was happening I knew I should feel that way but it was hard to act out of it. I have so much more to learn. At the time I felt very unspiritual. I spent less time in prayer than I usually do. One might think that in the holy land one would feel more holy. We I didn't. I felt less holy if anything. Possibly because my cares and concerns overwhelmed me.

He wants me to know he loves me in the midst of testing. In the midst of testing I allow myself to doubt God's approval of me. I worry testing occurs because he is mad at me. But I can thank God that he takes the time to teach me. It is a good thing.

Acts 19

You can read the passage first if you like.

I wonder if Paul did not get a little carried away with his big plans. It is good to have a big vision. Paul was undaunted despite physical danger. In the meantime though there was a lot of opposition. Paul's brash personality got him into a lot of trouble. Greek democracy could border on mob rule. Here we have an example. The silversmiths, rather than try to find something that Paul had really done wrong, which was fairly unlikely, tried to stir up patriotic sentiment to get him killed or at least thrown out of the city.

Back in chapter 15 we find that God had somehow kept him out of the province of Asia. But now he is in Asia preaching and making disciples. You can expect a backlash when you are successful. There are always unintended consequences.

I was reading that the temple of Diana (Artemis) in Ephesus was considered one of the seven wonders of the Roman world. It must have been truly spectacular. And the Ephesians had every right to be proud.

This was like a protest riot. The crowd chanted slogans. (But two hours? Wow!) Most of them had no idea why they were even assembled. Most of them had little faith in a statue made from human hands. Artemis was a concept not really a god, not like we think of God. She was not transcendent.

We are not sure if Paul ever made it to Spain, his other big idea. We know he got to Jerusalem, found more opposition and got to Rome, but not the way he hoped. e came as a prisoner. Still Paul used every opportunity to serve God, to preach and proclaim. And God confirmed his words with Holy Spirit power. Luke's history ends before Paul's death. Perhaps his history was written right as it was happening and the rest of Paul's life was in the future. Some say he did make it to Spain after being released from prison.

As the Roman world became more and more a Christian world it did cause many outward changes. What silversmiths created was only a small one. They would find other ways to make money. The silversmiths were prophetic in this, as pagan worship passed away the temple would go out of use. The building would be adapted to another role or the stones be taken down and used to build other buildings. Basilicas became churches.

Acts 19:21-41 ^ Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." ^ And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. ^ About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. ^ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; ^ these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. ^ You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. ^ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence." ^ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" ^ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. ^ And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. ^ Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. ^ So then,some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. ^ Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ^ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" ^ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? ^ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ^ For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. ^ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. ^ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. ^ For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today's events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering." ^ After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

Sunday message

Last Sunday I gave a message at Brighton Retirement Home. This wonderful place I call it in my mind an old folks home. Is that good enough?

I struggle with what to call my presentation. Sermon? I don't feel talented enough or qualified. I'm still high church enough to think a sermon must be delivered by an ordained person with a seminary degree. Besides I did not organize three points. I thought about it but hardly organized anything. Homily? That would be shorter than what I delivered and usually has only one main point. This was a rambling message and longer than a homily.

I did it without notes. I'd prefer to have notes at least to help me organize my thoughts. But I never made myself sit down and do it. I talked to Sam beforehand and he wisely said to come with a Bible scripture to base it on. I had determined to speak about our vacation trip to Israel and Kansas City. I wanted to give an account of all our adventures. But I really could not see how to speak on this for 20 minutes. I know myself, I would summarize and it would be over in a flash. So I told DW she might get a chance to speak too. I know I can rely on her to provide details. It turns out that after I spoke that is just what she did, giving wonderful word pictures.

Anyway I took Acts 15:36-16:15 something I had recently read. I tried to liken it to our trip. We went off with one plan in mind but God changed it in so many ways. Perhaps you can say that about the sermon because it ended up being mostly about this passage. I spent a lot time reading this passage and commenting on it.

I really do not know what I said. Did it finally have a point? I guess if it did it was that ministry was not always glorious, always successful. And we might start out with one plan and God could change it, force you to make changes. You might not get the glory. You might appear a colossal failure. Yet you can trust God to be in control, even if you are not and even if it appears nothing good happened.

I did not mention this but I wonder why Luke included these details at all. If you look at it critically it sort of makes Paul look bad. To me it makes him look petty. But I think Luke included it because to him this was normal. Real live ministry is full of disagreements, arguments, setbacks. And he was showing that despite it all, the gospel was being preached and many people were converted. The church was growing by leaps and bounds. The people doing it were human, talented yet flawed. But they were God's chosen. God used all this strife to advance his kingdom here on earth.

The commentator of this passage quoted Bonhoeffer twice. He said in ministry God might be building up or he might be pulling down (in preparation for something new). I see so many ministries that try to hang on after the newness is gone, the freshness it gone. I think so many times a ministry hangs on long after it should close up and prepare the way for something new. Yet if I am in the midst of that ministry I do not want to stop. Even in this I can trust in faith that God is in control.

The commentator concluded with this Bonhoeffer quote: "It is a great comfort which Christ gives his church: ‘You confess, preach, bear witness to me, and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is my province'"

So we are God's laborers. But God brings the fruit. God touches hearts. God is in charge.

Acts 15:36-16:15 - Ministry Frustrations

Anyone who has seen ministry work in practice can identify with this passage. There are arguments, frustrations, and often little apparent fruit. Paul and Silas are frustrated in their first plans and must adapt. They end up going a different way, to a different place than they originally planned.

Paul and Silas saw a vision of a man in Macedonia yet their first convert is a woman. Did that surprise them?

Areas are closed up to them. Why? How does this happen in practice? We can only guess.

After all the controversy about circumcision Paul does circumcise a man. Why? We can guess it is because his mother was Jewish. But this does not completely explain it.

My commentator quotes Bonhoeffer. In ministry we never know whether Jesus is "building up or pulling down".

Missionary work may seem romantic from far off. Read Acts carefully to see that it was not. People did what they felt like was right. They were not wrong but God interceded to correct and change so that what happened was what he wanted. This is what happens in all missionary and ministry work. We can only trust God, despite the fact that things are not as we would have them. Even if we see little results God's ways are not our ways. We go wrong when we start second guessing God.

Bonhoeffer - "It is a great comfort which Christ gives his church. You confess, preach, bear witness to me, and I alone will build when it pleases me. Don not meddle in what is my province.'" This reminds me of our July trip to Israel and then to Kansas City. Things did not go as we expected. We had few ministry opportunities and the ones I had were with people we randomly met in our traveling, not with the people at our destinations. I take encouragement that I can trust God was working in ways I can never understand and perhaps will never understand.

Acts 15 - barriers to conversion

Some people had come down from Jerusalem and told the Gentile converts that they must live like Jews, take on dietary laws and other traditions of the Jews. Paul and Barnabas strongly objected to this. God had shown many signs of power to these people just because they had repented and believed the Good News. God seemed to not discriminate. So why should man?

So there was a meeting in Jerusalem, a summit, what would later be called a synod. At this point Jerusalem was still the center of the new sect. Peter's testimony was recalled. But Luke says there was lots of debate. I assume some people were strongly emotional, voices raised, maybe even some name calling. But Paul and Barnabas stood their ground. They felt they were right. Experience and God's inspiration plus there are some Old Testament scriptures foretelling the Gentiles coming to praise the One God. They felt these scriptures were being fulfilled.

Finally James spoke. He warned of putting barriers in the way of faith. This is still good advice today. What barriers do our churches put in the way of faith? What unnecessary barriers? Circumcision and dietary laws would have been very hard on Gentiles. It would have been offensive.

What things do we put on new prospective converts that could be offensive? Language barriers? Reading barriers? Some people may not be able to afford the unwritten dress codes some churches demand. They may not own suit and tie and dress shoes. Must they get new clothes before they will be accepted?

How are our churches making an effort to reach out to prospective converts? How are we making it easier for them to fit in? Our church makes a conscious effort. Regular members are expected to dress casually. We do our service singing in English and Spanish. We are expected to greet and include newcomers. In what other ways can we be more inclusive?