New Year Challenges and Changes

A few weeks ago I had a strange “dream.” Actually, I’m not sure you could call it a dream – it was more of a sleepless moment in which my brain kept cycling through the same thoughts, over & over, preventing sleep from returning. And for some reason, the topic of my restlessness had to do with what I should do in my personal devotions for this coming year. Seriously. It was almost surreal as I lay there half way between sleep and consciousness. I’d been pondering this topic each time I had gone to the Christian bookstore, but really hadn’t spent much effort trying to work out any details. And so, to spend “sleep-time” in a conversation with myself was a bit “crazy” for even me.

But, unmistakably, the conversation kept coming back to the same challenge – “consider reading only one book this coming year – the Bible – not just for my quiet time, but for ALL my personal/recreational reading.  Over & over , the conversation repeated itself until finally I faded back into a restless sleep.  When I awoke, though I clearly remembered the details of the challenge, I quickly dismissed it, thinking that God would surely not make such a request of such an avid reader as me.

Well, several weeks passed, and as I lay in bed earlier this week, listening to the introduction to Eugene Peterson’s The Daily Message, I was once again reminded of the challenge I’d heard that night just a few weeks earlier – One year. One book.

One book? For one year? Just the Bible? Nothing else?

It didn’t make sense to me – after all, I am reading and studying the Bible all the time, some times for several hours each week as I prepare a sermon, or plan for worship. How can I spend all my “recreational” reading time just reading the Bible? There are so many books I want to read – books I don’t seem to have time to read as it is – great books by great authors -books that will help me to be a better leader, a better husband, a better dad. 

Each year, I read any where from twelve to twenty-four books – sometimes more. I’ve read some incredible books – both fiction and non-fiction – books that have kept my mind active and have challenged me to grow personally and professionally. My bookshelf at work is lined with books I’ve read, and books I hope to read. And if you go to my Amazon.com wish-list, you’ll find several more books I am hoping  to read in the days ahead.

Why would God ask me to “give up” one of my favorite hobbies – for a year? Why would He want me to put a “halt” to my reading plans, and ask me to read one Book – the Bible – for one year? 

Why? Because I’ve never “just read” the Bible. Oh, I’ve read through the Bible, and I’ve read it in study. I’ve read it in groups, and I’ve even read it in the quiet of time alone with God. But, I’ve never “just read” it. I’ve never, for personal growth and recreational pleasure, “just read” the Bible in the same way I have read so many other books. 

The words of Eugene Peterson challenged and confirmed in me this call that God has placed upon my heart for these next months.

Reading is the first thing – just reading the Bible…as we read, and the longer we read we begin to get it – we are in conversation with God.

 

The Bible is a book that reads us just as we are reading it. We’re used to reading books for what we can get out of them…these things can, and do, take place…but the Bible is given to us in the first place to make us at home in the world of God.

 

It’s written in the language of the marketplace. Many assume we need experts to explain and interpret it for us, but the first men & women to listen and read were ordinary working class people.

 

The Bible invites our participation in the work and language of God. As we read we find there is a connection between the word “read” and the word “lived.” Everything in this book is live-able. Many of us find that as we read the most important question we ask is not, “what does it mean?” but, “how can I live it?”

Peterson’s words really convicted my heart. As much as I study the Bible, and as much as I lead others to read the Bible, how much am I “reading” it – really? How much am I letting it read me as I read it?

And so, I have decided to accept the challenge – one year…one Book.

For the next twelve months, all my “recreational” reading will take place with one Book – God’s Word. While I will continue work-specific reading, discipleship reading, and Bible-study (primarily as my work day allows), for one year I will simply read the Bible, looking not for what I can get out of it, but seeking for it to penetrate deeper than ever before – making me even more at home in the world of God.

One year. One Book.

——————————————————————

January 7, 2009

Well, several days have gone by since I first wrote this entry, and as I prepared to post it today I felt God challenging me even further – beyond “One year. One Book.”

I am a bit skeptical as to the added challenge – not so much questioning God, but questioning whether or not I’ve got the will power to follow through with it.  As much as I would hate to admit it, I have gotten myself deeply entrenched in the electronic age of communication – especially in this new era of “blogging.” Though I haven’t been extremely consistent in my personal blogging, I subscribe to many blogs from some absolutely incredible pastors & leaders and have learned much over these past couple years reading their stuff and seeing how God is working in our world today.

But, as I begin this journey with “One Book,” I am also sensing that God is desiring for me to “unplug” from the blog world – cold turkey (at least as far as the many leadership & pastoral blogs go – keeping up our family blog & reading the blogs of family friends will continue).

So, for at least the next twelve months, in addition to reading only the Bible for my “recreational” reading, I have unplugged my Google Reader (yep – deleted all but our friends & family blogs), and will not be posting to my “Unforced Rhythm” blog (I am actually going to journal with pen & paper – it’s a fairly new invention for those who know only how to type). I can feel myself getting the withdrawal jitters already, but I am actually somewhat slightly excited about what God has in store for me. :0)

So, for now, I say, “See you later.”

Don’t forget to stay up-to-date (well, for the most part) on our family site clayeagle.wordpress.com

Hope Lives (Week Five)

Well, we have come to the end of our study, and I must say that I have been challenged even more this time than the first time I read this book. God continues to work in my own heart and mind as I wrestle with this issue of poverty. There is so much to do, and I pray that God will reveal to each of us how He would choose to use us to make a difference in the lives of men & women and boys & girls right here in Hartford City, Indiana.

Two quotes stuck out to me as I listened to the video clip from this past Sunday – two thoughts that have kept my mind busy this week:

“God was breaking my heart for the people who live there….” (I can tell, God is indeed breaking my heart – a bit more than I am comfortable with, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.)

“Not only do we drive through, but we stop and get out….” (How many times have I just “driven through” or “driven by” a need?)

Pastor Tom’s Challenge:

“Hope is the anchor that holds a soul in place regardless of the size of wave. But it is not found in a fortune cookie, game of chance, or a theory of evolution. Rather, it is found in Christ. Our world is desperately searching. Therefore, as a provider of HOPE, a teller of GOOD NEWS, ask for God’s help in discerning and drawing these tools with which He has uniquely fitted you: Spiritual Gifts, Skills, and a Heart.”

Hope Lives (Week Four)

I just read this prayer on one of the blogs I read. Considering our focus of the week is on the power and necessity of prayer, I thought it a fitting piece to our arsenal….

Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clench fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me. And what you want to give me is love – unconditional, everlasting love. Amen.

Holding Fast (Book Review)

This past week I finished reading the book called Holding Fast: The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy. It was the amazing and heart-breaking story of Kelly James, who, along with his friends Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke set out on a mountain climbing trip near Portland, Oregon – two years ago tomorrow. What was supposed to be a short three-day practice run for an upcoming climb on Mount Everest, turned out to be the final climb for each of these three very skilled, veteran climbers.

Karen James, the author and wife of Kelly James, chronicles the anxiety filled days of the search-and-rescue – days of hoping against hope that her husband would somehow survive the brutal elements of winter at 11,000 feet. Karen brought me right along with her on her journey: the last phone call, the feared phone call, the agonizing wait on the mountain, the heartache of her husband’s fate, the private family moments on their return home, and the discovery of God’s unmistakable care through it all. I was sad and encouraged all at once.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the final chapter:

“After Kelly’s death, I went in search of everything that he had ever written to me….While reading his writings, I noticed that in the majority of them, I was not the sole character. That had never been apparent to me before. Kelly also included his love for God; there had always been three of us in this love affair.”

I enjoy reading biographical books anyway, but I must say that this ranks up there as one of my favorites.

Amazon.com

Christianbook.com

Hope Lives (Week Three)

Now that I’m back from our brief trip to Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday, I can finally sit down and post some thoughts on week 3 – I trust you all had as wonderful a holiday with family & friends as we had.

Since preaching about week three last Sunday, I continue to wrestle with the idea of “enough.” Rob Bell’s words have come back at me several times this week, from his video “Rich”:

“When some hear the phrase laying up treasures, they start to think of money and wealth and mansions, but Jesus never even used the word mansion…nowhere in His teaching is the point about getting more stuff. It’s not the goal here on earth and it’s not the goal someday in Heaven“

For Jesus, it’s about being content. It’s about taking hold of the life that is truly life. It’s about realizing that the kinds of people we’re becoming matters…it has eternal implications. It’s about our future. It’s about our forever.”

Am I content – really? Or do I just want a little bit more? Am I living life clinging to my stuff, or am I allowing Christ to set the standard for contentment – for living open-handedly?

One of the most frustrating things for me in recent days is watching this “discontent” grow in my children. It doesn’t matter what toys or games or music they have, as soon as we walk into a store, the lure of “stuff” draws them in, and all I hear is, “Dad, I want….”

I know that there is a certain amount of that “want” that is internal to our humanness, but I can’t help but wonder how much of it they have learned from me. And I can’t help but wonder if God is as frustrated with me at times as I can get with them.

Hope Lives (Week Two)

All in all, it has been an incredibly challenging week as I’ve attempted to process my reading for Hope Lives (Week Two), prepare a sermon for Week Three, and attend a Circles Workshop offered by Teamwork for Quality Living in Muncie (discussing the process they use in helping people on their journey out of poverty). There is so much going through my tiny brain, that it has been really difficult to sort it all out.

I think one of the most challenging themes for me this week is the question the author asks – Who is my neighbor? Who exactly does God want me to help? I know, in my head, that my neighbor is who ever God places in my path. But I don’t always want to interact with my neighbor. There are times when they are a bit too irritating for my tastes. There are times when they are just too needy. There are times when the difference between us doesn’t seem worth crossing. And let’s face it, there are times when I just don’t like my neighbor – period.

And yet, despite my personal preferences (and personal laziness), God has called me to love my neighbor despite how I might feel at the moment. He has called me to just help them financially, He has called me to love them.

The author of Hope Lives writes: “I’m to give above even what is asked of me. True Christ-like generosity goes beyond just requirement. And giving isn’t about money. Jesus didn’t have wealth to give when he walked this earth. What he gave was attention, dignity, love, and respect to people as individual images of God. When I treat people like that, I’m giving them the greatest gift I have to give.”

“Jesus holds nothing back from me. He forgave me abundantly, he loves me abundantly, and he gives to me abundantly. That same spirit is what I want to have toward others. When asked what was most important, Jesus said first to love God and second to love your neighbor as yourself. The most important thing, second to loving God, is to love people. And not just any love, but over-the-top generous, self-sacrificing love. That’s what I’m called to freely give to others.”

Oh, how often I fail to give “freely” what Christ “freely” gave to me.

Why do I do this? (Revisited)

On March 21, 2005, after a particular tough week of rehearsals for our church Easter Production at Burnips Wesleyan Church, I wrote the following:

You know, every time I am involved in a major church event I come to the same point every time. It’s the point that I ask myself – “WHY DO I DO THIS? Why? When I’m tired and just not sure things are coming together? Why do I do this?

Do I enjoy the long hours? Do I want to experience the recognition when it’s all said and done?

I can tell you, it’s no to both. I miss being with my family during the long days, and let me tell you, there are easier ways to get recognition.

Then why? What drives me?

Is it the “big picture”? Is it seeing the pieces fall into place? Is it watching individuals work together in community?

Well, while I do enjoy these things immensely and am thoroughly satisfied as I watch a vision that started as a dream in my head come together like a life-size, breathing painting, it’s still not what motivates me. I could just as easily put together a puzzle or write a book.

No – what drives me is a real world filled with real people who have real needs who need to experience a real savior who can rescue them from a Christless eternity, for real.

In Exodus 4:31 it says, “And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

And so today, I simply desire to let people know that God loved them so much that He sent His Son to die for them.

And I believe that when they know that, they will bow down and worship Him.

Why do I do this? Because people NEED to know.

We stand on the edge of some absolutely incredible times of ministry. And as months of planning in various ministry areas begins to come to a head, life has gotten crazy busy, not only for me, but also for so many fantastic volunteers who are catching the vision and long to be a part of God’s movement in our church, and in our community. And I guarantee that every one of us will ask, if we haven’t already, WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Let me remind each of us, today, that we are doing it “because people NEED to know” – they NEED to encounter a life-transforming, eternity-changing relationship with Jesus Christ – HE is their ONLY real HOPE. May we continue to be faithful in doing our seemingly small role that carries with extremely eternal ramifications.

Serving TOGETHER,

David

Billy (Book Review)

In 1985 I was privileged to attend the Billy Graham Crusade in Anaheim, California. I had watched them on TV before, and was always amazed at the invitation time, when people would walk forward to invite Jesus Christ into their lives. It wasn’t until that crusade in Anaheim that I understood the power of those moments. Rev. Graham’s message was so simple and so basic – a message I learned as a child in Sunday School. And yet, as He spoke, God moved – you could feel it in the air as hundreds, possibly thousands, moved from the comfort of their seats down multiple decks to the field below. It was an awe-inspiring moment, and one I won’t ever forget.

Reading Billy:The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith that Almost Changed Everything was truly a joy, especially with that Anaheim memory in mind. All I had ever known was the incredible God-filled success of Billy Graham’s ministry. And to step back into the journey of his early days, helped bring perspective and understanding to how God has chosen to use this humble, ordinary man in extraordinary ways. The author does a great job telling this powerful story, as he weaves back and forth between the hospital room of Billy Graham’s friend and early crusade partner, Charles Templeton, to those early days of faith and ministry of the 1940’s.

Early on in the book, I found myself once again admiring the integrity of the life lived by Billy Graham. Over seventy years of life lived in the public eye – in ministry, and over seventy years of life lived well. Oh that we all could live life without the hint of scandal.

I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t his wife, Ruth’s, words when they first started dating, that would inspire & encourage him throughout the years. She said, “The way I see it, Billy” – she (Ruth) spoke slowly, her eyes never leaving his – “if you are not willing to live your life for something greater than yourself, well, then life is not really worth living.”

Billy Graham did indeed give his life to something much greater than himself, and the world (eternity) will never be the same. Though the story of his wrestling match with God and with truth in the book was a bit out of the character of the rest of the book (for the average non-Christian reader, such an experience will sound a bit mystical and possibly unrealistic), I never realized that he had experienced such a moment. And for me, that moment showed that Billy Graham was a real man who encountered a real God, and as a result has lived life beyond himself.

In his own words – “I understand, Lord! You said in Your Word that the just shall live by faith. I see it, Lord. I accept it. I believe it – by faith.” Do I see it? Do I accept it? Do I believe? Am I living life by faith? Really?

Whether you like to read biographies or not, you will enjoy this book. You will experience Billy Graham as you may never have experienced him before, and you just may experience God in a way you’ve only dreamed.

Buy it – Amazon.com, Christianbook.com

Hope Lives (Week One) – Part II

Late last night as I was sitting in the quiet reading through my devotions, I read Romans 5:1-8. This is a passage I know I’ve read multiple times over the years, but some words jumped out at me as I read – words that I had just a few hours before considered in Hope Lives.

Let me share the passage – Romans 5:1-8 (NLT):

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Do you see it?

There is so much richness in this passage, but verse 6 jumped out at me…

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time….”

“…God showed his great love for us by sending Christ….”

When we were “utterly helpless” – without hope – Christ came at just the right time; He wasn’t late. And He came because God loves us. And that love, through Christ, provides hope – a HOPE that will “not lead to disappointment.”

Becky shared a great work picture in Sunday School the other day relating Josiah’s vision problems (he was recently diagnosed as 20/25 in his right eye and 20/200, legally blind, in his left) to a person’s vision before Christ (of being in spiritual blindness in one eye, and just seeing our world in the other – of living life in the flesh and out of focus), and how that when Christ comes into our lives (when we put on the new glasses), our vision is restored and we can see out of both eyes. And it is then that we discover that we were living in the face of counterfeits. We strove for happiness until Christ gave us joy, and we struggled to cope with life until in Christ we found hope.

Every person in Blackford County who is not a follower of Jesus Christ, lives in poverty. This poverty knows no racial lines, no political lines, no age lines, no status lines, and no economic lines…this poverty is a poverty of life lived without Jesus Christ – a poverty of the heart (they are living with life completely out of focus trying to cope and be happy). It is this poverty that must ultimately be addressed before HOPE can take root, and we are the ones (Christ-followers) entrusted with this message of HOPE.

For me, that is an incredibly overwhelming realization – God entrusted me (you may not know me, but I know me, and I wouldn’t have given me this responsibility). And yet He did, and it was His love for us that drove Him to do so.

The Bible says that when we really, truly allow God’s love to penetrate into our lives, we won’t be able to prevent the overflow of that love as it flows into the lives of others. And so I must ask myself, have I REALLY allowed His love to penetrate my life? And if so, would someone on the outside looking in and observing my life be able to tell?

Please know that I am wrestling with this as much as I know some of you are. The task at hand is huge and it would be easy to do one of two things (I’ve talked about them before). First, we could look at the task and try to do a whole bunch of stuff trying to make as big of an impact as possible as quickly as possible. OR, we could look at the massiveness of the task and choose to do nothing thinking there is no way we can make an impact. I don’t believe any of you (including me) think that either of those are an option, and so I am praying that God will continue to show us each what it means to love & impact one life at a time. How does HOPE live itself out in real life? I believe God will give us that answer.

For the cause that counts,

David

Hope Lives (Week One) – Part I

This image was attached to a blog I read (http://www.worshiptrench.com/?p=546).

Protegee, carrying her sibling on her back, cries as she looks for her parents through the village of Kiwanja, north of Goma, eastern Congo on Thursday Nov. 6. A fragile cease-fire in Congo appeared to be unraveling Thursday as the U.N. said battles between warlord Laurent Nkunda’s rebels and the army spread to another town in the volatile country’s east.

Just having arrived home from Vietnam and I again made quickly aware of how oblivious we are to sufferings around the world. We talk about times being tough in America. Give me a stinkin’ break. I am sorry that our latte’s cost $4.50 now and that we’ll have to curtail a little Christmas shopping. We don’t have a clue as to suffering. God be with Protegee and thousands like her. Bring the American Church to her knees for her self-centeredness.

That image has burned itself into my brain…my heart breaks for those kids and the feeling of helplessness they must be experiencing in the midst of the harsh chaos of their world. It also brings my own mind quickly to the story Becky shared in Sunday School this past week, a story that also haunts me personally.

For those who weren’t there, a couple weeks ago, Benjamin & Josiah, while playing around, decided to get in the trunk of our Park Avenue. Little did they know, but that trunk would not open from the inside once it was shut. Through God’s grace, Becky discovered them – they were shaking the car and had punched their way to atleast push the center island of the back seat down to provide them some semblance of air.

As you can imagine, they were terrified, and the knowledge of their terror still haunts me and tears at my heart – my own children in a situation beyond their control – helpless and desperate for freedom.

How many children across this world are living life terrified at what this moment holds for them? How many children in our own community live in terror of this moment? How many men & women in our community feel helpless and desperate for freedom?

And how do we respond? How should we respond?

From page 33-34 (Hope Lives by Amber VanSchooneveld)

“My brain just can’t keep processing these statistics…and so I shut down….I stay half ignorant on purpose. I skim the news, not letting myself read too much. I glean enough to seem informed: ‘Oh, yes, it’s a shame what’s going on in Africa.’ I don’t get my heart involved. I stay aloof and in control. Separate.”

“Sometimes I allow myself to be broken. Other times I don’t. And in the times I don’t, I turn to my two good old friends to cope with my confused heart: guilt and charity. I know I ought to be doing something and caring, and I’m filled with guilt. Guilt is a great motivator…in the short run. I quickly whip out my checkbook, write a check to the first organization that seems reputable, and wipe my brow. Whew. That’s better. Guilt salved; charity fulfilled….But guilt doesn’t last. It drifts away like smoke….God can turn our poor motivation to good….but guilt is not the point. I don’t need guilt; I need love.”

“I’m overwhelmed by numbers because it was never about numbers. One million, 20 million, 200 million. God didn’t create me to care about numbers, and numbers create guilt. Thabitha. Gabriel. Sarath. Lavender. Josue. (AND I ADD PROTEGEE). That’s who God cares about. That’s who God wants me to love.

Back on page 23 she writes:

Even if I can change just one life, give hope and comfort and love to one person, that would be a tremendous, significant, celebratory act. That would be one person who perhaps Jesus wept over, one person the angels will rejoice over, and one more treasure of God, just like Deborah.”

The further I get into this, the greater the burden is becoming…my heart is burning. We’ve got an enormous task in front of us…and we won’t be able to change it all…but whose life can we impact? Who is searching desperately for freedom. Who is God asking us to love in our world? Who is God asking you to love in your world – today? I can’t answer that for you, but my guess is that you may already know the answer.

Journeying TOGETHER,

David