Walking The Tightropes Of Life – Balancing Store And Steward

I feel like I’m walking on another tightrope.  Let me explain.

Have you ever purchased something only to put it on a shelf or in a closet to keep it in mint condition?

Maybe you bought a brand-new car only to park it in the garage.  Maybe you purchased a book only to keep it in its wrapping to protect it from being damaged.

I’ve done this before.  I’ve purchased things only to store them up to keep them pristine.  For example last year, I purchased a couple of packages of undershirts.  These can be difficult to find in my size as I require extra-large tall sizes, and most stores don’t stock tall sizes.  I still had some older undershirts that I wore for a long time.  Meanwhile, I let the new ones sit in my closet in the original packaging for the better part of a year – unused.

The more I think about it, this doesn’t seem like the best stewardship.  What good does it do to let something sit on a shelf that was meant to be used?

Last night, I wrestled with this as we finished up youth group at the church.  Our church currently has two buildings on its campus.  The first building was built with a focus on our kids ministry.  The second building which is currently being utilized as our worship area is primarily designed to focus on our student ministry.  As we continue to grow, we will need build another building or two to keep up, and we’ll need to be diligent in planting other campuses/churches around the area (but that’s another topic).

Getting back to last night’s youth group, I was cleaning up after the evening activities when I came across a piece of drywall.  Apparently, someone had ripped a hole in one of the wall’s of the building.  I have no idea how it got there, but I was initially ticked off.  What are kids thinking?  Don’t they realize the money that has gone into building a facility focused on them?  Why don’t they take care of it?

As I drove home, I continued to wrestle with my anger.  And then it hit me, there were seven new kids at youth group last night.  Every week, we are seeing new students checking out the youth group.  Most churches would be ecstatic to experience this type of growth.  The youth group is reaching students who come from broken homes, unchurched families, and typical teenager struggles.  The group is having an impact on these students and their families.

Sure it’s important to take care of our stuff – the resources that God has given us, and it’s also important to be good stewards of the things we have.  What good is a building that is locked up all week?  A building is meant to be used?  A building focused on teenagers will occasionally experience busted drywall.

I think this is what Jesus may have been getting up in the Sermon on the Mount when he said:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21

Let’s store up things that matter.  Let’s be good stewards of what we’ve received.  And let’s learn to look at life and our stuff from a different perspective.

How are you doing with this balancing act?  What are you storing up?  Are you being a good steward?  Do you ever struggle with this?  Jump in the conversation by leaving a comment.

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program

Last night, our H.O.P.E. group was supposed to be serving at The Good Samaritan Shelter in Phoenixville, PA.  We were scheduled to paint and clean a couple of rooms at the shelter with our group which typically meets twice a month to serve other people.  It didn’t happen though.

In the middle of the day, we received news that the shelter was closing their offices early due to the inclement weather.  We received a few inches of wet snow yesterday which doesn’t sound like a lot for those in the some parts of the country.  For some reason, the first significant snow fall put everyone in our area on high alert.

And so our regularly scheduled program was interrupted.  The interruption came with mixed feelings.  My wife and I were a little sad, because we had a big group scheduled to help out.  We were excited to have our whole H.O.P.E. group along with a few guests lined up to put a dent in the shelter.  It’s challenging to reschedule activities like this, so cancelling this event brings an unknown as to when we’ll be able to serve again with this ministry.

On the other hand, our family has an extremely busy schedule this week with activities scheduled for each evening.  The break last night was somewhat of a blessing as it gave us the opportunity to be at home for the evening.  We were able to eat together, read, and relax after a busy day of work and school.

Sometimes an interruption can be a good thing.  I don’t normally handle interruption all that well.  I don’t like change, and I don’t like it when my schedule or routine is compromised.  So what can I learn from last night’s interruption?

1. Interruptions happen.  It’s a fact of life. You and I need to get used to the fact that things come up that will interrupt our lives.
2. Embrace the interruption.  Sometimes an interruption can be just what we need to get us realigned.  Besides, pouting and grumbling over the impact of an interruption is a waste of energy.  My kids enjoyed the opportunity to play in the snow.  Perhaps, this was their way of embracing the interruption.
3. Evaluate your interrupted activity.  What was I doing when I was interrupted?  What part of my schedule was interrupted?  Do I need to return to that activity, program, conversation, etc.?  Or do I need to move on?  I hope that we can reschedule this H.O.P.E. serving opportunity, but it will be important for us to evaluate how this fits into the schedule for our group and for our family.
4. Expect interruption.  Interruptions are a good reminder that we need to build in margins into our schedules and into our lives.  Margins give us space to breath, to think, and to react to life’s interruptions.
5. Be considerate when you interrupt and when you are interrupted.  It’s going to happen.  You will need to interrupt someone else and their regularly scheduled program, and you will be interrupted by someone else who really needs your attention.  Learn to respect other people.  Respond in grace.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
6. Trust God when your life is interrupted.  Sometimes interruptions can be far more than an inconvenience.  Sometimes an interruption can be like shoving a stick in the spokes of a moving bicycle.  Maybe it’s a health crisis, a job loss, or a death of a loved one.  These kinds of interruptions can rock our worlds.  In times like these, we need to remember to trust God.  He may be the only thing we can hang onto when an interruption shatters our lives.

When was the last time your schedule was interrupted?  How was this interruption a good thing?  How has interruption in your life STRETCHED you?

Walking The Tightropes of Life – Balancing Truth and Grace

Last week, my foundations class talked about groups.  The main focus of the discussion was how a solid group setting can be a great place to experience both truth and grace.  Many of us lean one way or the other.  We’re either grace-givers or truth-tellers.  I’m sure I lean more towards the “grace-giver” side.

The reality is that we need both grace and truth in our lives in order to grow and stay balanced.  My friend, Diane Karchner, helped explain this to me one time.  If we have a relationship that doesn’t have truth or grace, the relationship is one that is non-involved.  It’s a relationship where nobody cares.  If we have a relationship that has truth without grace, it’s a graceless relationship.  There is no margin for mistake or error in a relationship like this.  If we have a relationship that has grace without truth, it’s a truthless relationship.  These relationships are solely based on what I want to hear and not what I may need to hear.  Finally, we hit our sweet spot when grace and truth are both existent in a relationship.  This is where true agape love happens.

There are many times where I regret that I haven’t kept this balanced.  I have friends and even family who have needed both, and I have typically failed to bring truth to the table.  I don’t like confrontation.  It’s a lousy excuse, but it’s true.  I sometimes fail to speak up, because I don’t want to rock the boat and I certainly don’t want to be rejected.

It can also be easy to runaway from relationships where I know I’m going to get a little bit of both – truth and grace.  It doesn’t always feel good if the relationship is more based on truth than grace.  I guess that’s why a balance is important.  We need people in our lives who love us enough to tell us the truth and who love us enough to give us grace and a second chance when we screw up.  That’s where I want to be!

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  Ephesians 4:15

Where /when/how have you experienced truth and grace?  How would a little more truth have been beneficial to something you experienced in the past?  How would a little more grace have been beneficial to something you experienced in the past?

Rock and Roll – God Rocks, Life Rolls

Life throws us all kinds of twists and turns.  One moment we’re on the mountain peeks and the next we’re dealing with the weight of the world.  Sometimes our ups and downs are simply out of our control, but often they are self-induced by our past actions and decisions.

When life rolls along it can be challenging to find stability.  Maybe we seek escape from life’s turmoil at the gym, at work, at the bar, or on-line.  Many times these escapes simply numb our senses for a short time, but they fail to provide the anchor that we really require to withstand the waves of life.

There is one place we can look all the time for refuge from the storms of life.  In the Bible, God is often referred to as the rock.  A rock is dependable.  A rock is consistent.  It does not change or  move.

I have absolutely no idea what you may be going through today.  Maybe you lost your job.  Maybe you’re dealing with poor health.  Maybe you’re wrestling with relationships that are painful or unhealthy.  Whatever it is, let God be your rock, your anchor, and your refuge today.

When life rolls, let God be your Rock!

I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout.

Powerless

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

We’re still without power at our house.  It’s an interesting feeling being powerless.  The house is getting colder, and it is so quiet with out the noise of the lights, computers, and other electric-powered things in the house.  We’ve been told by PECO that we may not have power for a week.  It’s kind of a powerless feeling.  I certainly don’t have the tools or the skills to fix the power on our street, and I can’t control the schedules of the electric repair teams.

Honestly, we’re blessed.  We’ve had so many friends reaching out to us with offers of refrigerator space, meals, generators, and warm places to sleep and hang out.  Others in our area have not been so fortunate.  In a town near us, a family lost their entire house in a fire Monday night during the hurricane.  I can’t imagine the feeling of loss and despair.

For some reason, this song by All Sons & Daughters keeps coming to my mind – All the Poor and Powerless.  “All will sing out, Hallelujah…”

I don’t know how you made out in the storm, but I pray that you and I will remember to praise God through the storms of life.

How were you impacted by Hurricane Sandy?  When was the last time a storm left you feeling powerless?

All the poor and powerless
And all the lost and lonely
All the thieves will come confess
And know that You are holy
And know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah
All the hearts who are content
And all who feel unworthy
And all who hurt with nothing left
Will know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

Shout it
Go on scream it from the mountains
Go on and tell it to the masses
That He is God
We will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

To Bee Or Not To Bee – Thoughts From An Encounter With Bees

Over the weekend, I was doing some odds and ends around the house when I had an encounter with a nest of ground bees.

I had just put up some fall decorations on our front porch when I noticed some weeds in the landscape in front of the porch.  Naturally, I knelt down and start pulling weeds.  As I started to get a large hand full of weeds, I felt something sharp and almost thorny at my wrist.  At first, I kept going, but I quickly stopped when I realized that this pinching feeling wasn’t going away.  Suddenly, I realized that I was being stung by a bee and there were tons of other bees swarming around me.  I quickly dropped my handful of weeds and ran into the front yard trying to get away from the swarm of bees.  Remarkably, I was only stung once.

Two days later, my wrist still hurts and itches.

The bee sting got me thinking some key “Be” verses from the Bible that merit some extra reflection.

• He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Psalm 46:10
• Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  Mark 13:33
• Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  I Corinthians 16:13
• Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  I Peter 5:8-9
• Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32
• Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12

I’m sure this is just a start.  What other “Be” verses can you add to the list above?  When was the last time you were stung by a bee?

Walking The Tightropes of Life – Balancing Things Like Humility and Pride

There are times in life when it seems like we are walking on a tightrope.  Tightrope walkers typically hold a long pole in the middle that they use to stay balanced.  If they start leaning one way, they move their arms and the pole until they regain their balance.

Imagine for a second that you are a tightrope walker.  As you walk across the rope, someone grabs on to one of the ends of the pole you are carrying.  Obviously, this will mess you up.  You will quickly need to find someone of similar size and weight to grab onto the other end of the pole.  (Or you would need to drop the pole – I suppose).

Throughout life, we are faced with similar decisions.  If we don’t make the right decision, our life will get out of balance.  For example, as parents if we love our kids yet we never tell them the truth, we are doing our children a disservice.  Many parents are in this boat today as they seek to become their kids best friends.  On the other hand, if we only have truth in our relationships with our kids yet never show them love, we are missing out on a huge opportunity to build up our children.  Kids who have been parented this way probably feel like they are being yelled at all the time.  There needs to be a balance of truth and love.

Can you think of other things in life that require this type of balance?

Another good example is work and life.  I need to work, so I can live.  If I work too much, I miss out on life.  If I party too much (living large so to speak), I will quickly run out of resources for living.

As I was traveling yesterday, I started thinking about how this applies to serving.  With the advent of social media and blogging, it is easy to get thoughts and ideas out there.  It’s also easy to share with everyone about the details of life.  I’ve done this recently with my trip to Guatemala.  It’s been healthy for me to reflect out loud about this trip and it’s impact on my life.  I hope that it has been expressed with a certain level of humility, but I realize that there is also a danger in sharing about this kind of experience.  We can easily make it all about me.  Look at me!  Look what I’ve done!  I’m the man!

In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, he shares some advice for those who help the needy:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  Matthew 6:1-4

It seems to me that there has to be some balance here.  The Bible also talks about the importance of spurring one another on toward love and good deeds:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… Hebrews 10:24

I hope that my posts about Guatemala and past posts about our H.O.P.E. activities have been taken this way.  For one of my primary goals with this whole blog is to STRETCH others while I’m being STRETCHED.  But if I’m honest, there is probably a small amount of motivation in sharing these types of things that is meant to bring me some glory.  I’m just being honest.

The Apostle Paul gives us some great advice when it comes to balancing this whole thing:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

The Lost Key

Our family participated in a giant yard sale on Saturday.  Families from our H.O.P.E. service group teamed up together to raise money for facility improvements at Urban Outreach down in Washington D.C.  As part of the sale, each family gathered stuff from their own homes and brought it to a local shopping center where many hundreds of people came to find a deal.

Our family spent Friday night going through our house finding items to sell.  We found old clothes, old bikes, some books, some games, and other odds and ends.  I went out to the shed to find a few items there.  When I was done in the shed, I locked the door with our one and only shed key.  I proceeded to a few other locations in an attempt to find things before we loaded up our cars with the items to sell.

In the process of all this, I apparently misplaced the key to the shed.  I thought that I had returned the key to its normal space, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.  I think we realized it was missing Saturday morning before we left for the sale.  I looked a few places before we left, and I scoured the house when we came back from the sale later that afternoon.  After looking high and low, I realized that our key may be gone for good.

As I was reflecting on our lost key yesterday, a story from the Bible came to mind:

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  Luke 15:8-10

The woman in the story throws a party after finding her lost coin.  Maybe that’s a good idea.  If we find our key, maybe we should have a party.  What do you think?

Actually, the story is referencing something far more meaningful than a key or even a coin.  The story is meant to remind us how exciting it should be when someone returns to Christ after a “lost” journey.  Yesterday, our family had an opportunity to see this fleshed out when we attended the baptism of seven individuals who decided to believe, repent, and be baptized.  Do you want to talk about a reason for celebration?  This is it!

Getting back to our shed key, it still hasn’t shown up.  I figured out a way to get into the shed in the meantime, but I think that I’ll have to cut the lock off and get a new one.  Oh well.  If nothing else, my lost shed key taught me some lessons along the way.  First, always put the shed key back in its location right away when you lock up the shed.  Second, God cares way more about people than shed keys.

What have you lost recently?  Did you find it?  If so, how did it feel?

Where are you on your journey?  Are you lost?  Or has there been a celebration for your return?

Dear Me At Age 13

Dear Me (at 13),

First of all, let my introduce myself.  I’m you at age 40.  Yes, you make it that far, and there’s still a bright future ahead of you.  I thought you could use some encouragement.  After all, 8th grade and the whole teenage thing can be a little awkward at times.  And while I know you strive to be cool, you often feel out-of-place.

Here’s the deal.  You need to relax a little.  Believe it or not, God has big plans for your life.  You will finish high school, and you will do quite well academically.  You won’t have any girl friends during this period of your life, but don’t sweat it.  You end up with an unbelievable wife.  Just be patient.  God is good.

You will run a season of Cross Country and of Winter Track.  You’ll hate it for the most part.  At age 40, you actually love to run.  You will run many races in your 30s including five half marathons and three marathons.  That’s 26.2 miles, and you actually find enjoyment in this pursuit.  It would be nice if you could put a little more effort into the running thing now, so it’s easier later.  Here’s the funny thing, both of your kids will actually go onto run Cross Country.

Kids?  Yep!  You have two amazing kids.  Your daughter (and oldest child) is amazing.  She’s a lot like you.  She’s highly driven to achieve.  She is so beautiful.  And she has an incredible heart for others.  Your son is great.  He is so talented.  He’s a sensitive kids (most of the time), and he will keep you on your toes.  Spend time with your kids (when that happens).  The time goes by so quickly.  Make the most of each and every opportunity you have with them.

You know how church is a big focus in your family now?  Well, church continues to be a major focus for you and your family.  Don’t be afraid to try something new and different?  I know you don’t like change, and you’re used to the tradition of church services at a Presbyterian churches.  You will end of up being active in a church that meets at a movie theater.  I know it sounds crazy, but this experience will stretch you in amazing ways.

Speaking of stretching, you eventually grow.  It doesn’t really start kicking in until the end of high school, but eventually you stretch to almost 6’6″.  And yes, you will dunk a basketball.  It’s pretty cool!  You’ll actually get your first dunk in a game when you’re future wife is in the stands watching.  Stretching becomes a major theme in your life.  You actually write a blog every day about how God is stretching you.  Oh, a blog is kind of like a journal on the computer that other people can read.  It goes up on this thing called the internet that everyone in the world can see.  I know you do pretty well in English, but it’s not your thing right now.  Pay attention now, because you eventually love to write.  Stick through honors English in high school.  Your senior year will be especially challenging, but you’ll get through it.

As for friends, some of your closest friends today are made over the next few years in high school.  You will stay in close contact with a few guys who you know through high school and church.  While you will all eventually be separated by miles, you will establish traditions that help you get together a few times each year.  Your families will become good friends, and you’ll watch each others kids grow up before your eyes.  Camping will be a huge part of this tradition.

Keep going on missions trips.  These trips will be spring boards towards future serving opportunities.  Keep your eyes open for ways to serve others.  While life will become very busy, fulfillment will never be greater than when you are serving others.

I don’t want to scare you with all the other details.  Life will be challenging at times.  You will experience fear, anxiety, loneliness, despair, hopelessness, and depression.  Let God be your Rock.  Lean on Him, your family, your church, and your friends.  God will see you through the storms.  There will also be many mountain top experiences and successes.  Give God the glory for these times as well.  Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

Finally, let Proverbs 3:5-6 and Colossians 4:2-6 become your life verses.  Look them up, memorize them.  Find ways to live them out.

Keep your chin up!

Me (at age 40)

What would you tell your 13-year old self?

Role Models

When I was a little kid, everyone looked up to sports figures as their role models.  I remember looking up to Walter Payton, Mike Schmidt, and Julius Erving.  I had a life-size poster of Julius Erving in my bedroom growing up that said, “How do you measure up to a classic?”  These guys weren’t perfect.  In fact, they all made mistakes, but as far as I can tell, they realized and accepted that they were role models.  They knew that thousands of kids were looking up to them as examples.

More recently, many sports figures reject the notion that they are role models.  Charles Barkley was known for his statements rejecting the role model tag.  Many professional sports players today are in the news for breaking the rules and breaking the law, instead of breaking records and breaking down barriers.  I realize that this isn’t true of every sports figure today, but it saddens me that kids don’t have the same role models that they used to have in the professional sports world.

So where else should we be looking for role models?

Hopefully, kids are looking at their teachers, their parents, and leaders in their communities and churches.  Adults need role models too!  We need bosses and business leaders we can look up to.  We need men and women who can set an example worth following.  We need couples in our lives who demonstrate commitment and love.  And we need Christians around us who will point us towards Christ.

I’ve been blessed over the years to have many role models.  To list all of them would be impossible, but there are a few that come to mind:

• Ray and Joann Rivera – They were youth leaders in my high school youth group.  They set a great example in their marriage and in their individuals spiritual journeys.
• Wes Kennedy – Wes was an elder at our church and a community business man who consistently demonstrated the values of working hard and looking out for others.
• Jeff and Glynis Murphy – We met the Murphy family during our first year of marriage.  They were role models in the way they lived out their marriage.  They taught us and showed us the importance of regular date nights and times away.  They also introduced us to the Family Life Weekend to Remember marriage conferences.  (See my post from a couple of weeks ago for more about this.)
• Craig Fischer – Craig has been my boss for many of the 16+ years I’ve worked for Siemens.  He is another example of someone who works hard, who values employees, and knows the importance of family.
• Frank Chiapperino – Frank was the small group pastor at the church I attend.  He showed me the value of reading, of writing, and of leading with excellence.
• My parents – Faith and family were lived out in my home growing up.  Believe me, it wasn’t perfect, but I saw how God could still use us despite our imperfections.  I learned the importance of church community participation as it was clearly modeled by my folks.

It’s so important to have people like this in our lives.  We need role models who are worth following.  We need to learn from people like this, so we in turn can be role models for those coming behind us.

While sports figures and celebrities shy away from the label of role model.  This is a title I want in my life and a label I want to earn.

Who is your role model?  Are you a role model worth following?