The Better Way
Today, I’m honored to present another guest blogger. Terri Stone is the Director of Pastoral Care at my church. I’ve had the privilege of serving with Terri over the past several years, and I’ve met few people who can connect and remember people like Terri. Today, Terri shares her current STRETCHING story with us. Enjoy!
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
I’ve spent the last 11 years stretching. I should be good and warmed up; ready for anything. Serving on the ministry staff at my church has given me the opportunity to do more things and meet more people than I ever imagined I would in my lifetime. Being in the mix of a fast growing church has had me “burning the midnight oil” for a very long time. I have to be clear, though, and say that no one demanded I burn the midnight oil; I chose to burn it myself. My personality is one that needs to be busy from sunrise to sunset or I feel like a useless, lazy, non-contributing person. Crazy, I know.
I’ve had a few different jobs in my tenure at the church. I’ve seen staff members come; and I’ve seen them go off to do awesome things. I’ve been part of large outreach events, classes, small groups, Sunday services, baptisms, mission trips, and capital campaigns…and this is the short list. The thought of having enough time in the day to get everything done has been unheard of. This was the case until recently. I’m now in the job where I’m perfectly gifted to serve. I’m no longer involved in every single thing that happens at the church being pulled in a million different directions. Now my days are focused, helping people with their spiritual questions, life struggles and personal needs. I have time to think and pray, plan and strategize about how to build a new ministry from the ground up.
And while I absolutely love how I’m serving, it’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve encountered in ministry. The task list has changed. The “to do” list has become the “who list.” To say the least, this new place in ministry has me stretching in ways that I’m not used to stretching.
I think about the story, in Luke’s Gospel, of the two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha welcomes Jesus and his crew into her home where she and her sister promptly choose two different approaches to their interaction with Jesus. Martha fusses with taking care of the needs of her guests while Mary ignores all the others and all the preparations so she can hang out with Jesus. Martha complains asking Jesus to tell her sister to help. Jesus’ response is not what she expects, “Martha, Martha,”…“you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
What I’ve come to realize is that I’ve been like that complaining sister! I’ve been busy “doing” ministry; all the while fussing about something or somebody. For someone like me, it’s strange not to have a task list a mile long of what must get done. Having more tasks than I can handle has always equaled value. But Jesus is saying there’s a better way. The better way has me stretching to be contemplative, to be quiet, to be more prayerful and to listen. In doing so, I’ll actually be better prepared to do the people things, “who list” things God has for me to do.
I think there’s a great lesson in the story for all of us. Jesus needs us to be with him first before we can really do what he has for us to do. After reading the story in Luke 10, there are some questions we need to ask ourselves. Am I serving Jesus in the right way for the right reasons? Is my busyness “for Jesus” to impress others with all I have to do? What will it take to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen so we can learn his better way for us?
Examine your service to Jesus and others. Invite him to show you what he truly desires the outcome of your time with him to be.
My Good Versus God’s Good
I have the privilege today of presenting guest blogger, Jeff Whitebread. Jeff (or Pumpernickel as I like to call him) is a good friend and sincere brother. Jeff is just starting his own blog (see the link below), and he has so generously volunteered to share his current STRETCHING story here.
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
It certainly is a pleasure to be a guest contributor on my good friend’s blog. In sticking with the theme of being stretched, it is always helpful when I consider God’s purpose in stretching my life. For when I focus on life’s circumstances, I can often feel overwhelmed and find myself being swept away in moments of despair. For in the midst of life’s turmoil, I can feel as if I am being pulled apart from the inside, as if a part of me is dying. I am left with these nagging thoughts. Why does God make life so hard? If life is this hard, am I doing something wrong?
Romans 8:28-29 says,
(28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
As I read this passage, an obvious truth jumps out from V28. God works all things for the good of those who love him, not some things or most things. God is working every single thing in my life out for my good. If I love God, then I can take this truth to the bank. I can believe this truth and live according to this truth. But wait, not everything that happens to me appears to be good, and here my story of being stretched begins.
When I was told, I was losing my job several weeks ago my first reaction was not, “thank you God this is so good.” It was a shock. I had to pick my jaw up off the table. Now, you must understand, I knew my job was going to end. I have been working for an insurance company that has been going out of business since 2001. When I started working for this company, it had 6,000 employees, and now it has only 150. During this 11 year process, I have seen God reawaken my heart and set a desire to serve him in the full-time ministry. I have viewed these last several years as a time of transition, as a time of preparation to leave the IT field and serve God where He calls.
As God began to open and close doors in my life, I developed a plan for how things were going to work out. I began thinking about how I was going to transition from working as an IT geek to being a missionary to our elected officials in Harrisburg. It was a smooth transition, it was neat and clean and in truth it required little risk and even less faith. After all, I will be serving the Lord; He would certainly bless such pure intentions. What I failed to see and what God is teaching me and stretching me to understand is this truth. God has a different purpose in mind. While I am focused on the destination, God’s laser beam focus is on me as an individual.
Let’s take a step back and ask ourselves, how does God define the word “good” in v28? We quickly realize through life’s circumstances that God is not working in our lives the way we might desire Him to work. He is doing something strange to us; He is taking us places we have no interest going. Our hearts cry out as we try to make sense of the situations we face. You see V29 tells us the goal, the good thing God is doing in our lives. What God desires for us, what He is working to accomplish through every situation and circumstance we face is to become like Jesus. This is what He wants; this is what He is doing. When we face the hard times in life we can hold onto this truth – this difficult and challenging situation is in my life because God is doing something good. His purpose for me is to be conformed to the image of His Son. He is working in my life and taking me through the hard time because his desire is that Christ may be formed in my life.
As I face the realities of my life and think of how God is at work, my plan no longer makes sense. I cannot connect the dots. I did not expect to be out of a job for another 2-3 years, I thought I would be one of the last people employed in my company. Obviously, God had a different plan from mine. Now I face the fact of raising my support, of trusting God with opening people’s hearts toward this ministry. As I look for God to validate my call through the financial commitment of others, it is humbling, it is scary, and yet it is where God has placed me in my journey to follow Him. I can say through the eyes of faith it is good. Whether I end up in this ministry or serve God in some other area, no matter what happens to my family and the things we place our security on, God is working to create in me the image of His Son.
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death (Heb 2:9). The path our Lord went down was one of sacrifice and suffering, if this was required of our Lord, should we expect that to become like Him would require anything less for our lives. The worldly part of our heart cries out, “No! Please give us another way.” Yet the cross stands and proclaims that there is no other way in which we can serve our great and glorious King, Jesus the Christ. Is it easy? Never! Is it worth it? Every single moment, for God is actively working for the “good” of our lives.
Through the encouragement of Jon, I am being stretched in another area, I have decided to start blogging about this journey. If you would like to read my attempt to write about this journey, please check out On The Narrow Road.
All for the glory of God!
Jeff
Where do you see Christ being formed in your life? How have you seen hard times actually used for good?
Getting Back To The Basics – Cape Cod Baseball League
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big baseball fan. I have followed the game for most of my life – first as a Chicago Cubs fan – and now as a Philadelphia Phillies fan (since 1980 when I moved to the Philly area). It’s been fun to support the Phillies especially over the past five years as they have been very competitive, but…
Professional baseball isn’t what it used to be. With steroids, free agency, lack of player/team loyalty, higher ticket prices, and a crazy pay structure, players and teams don’t relate to average fans – like myself. I have found my overall interest in the game slacking off. Much of this is due to the realities of adult life – I now have a family and a job that require my full attention. But I believe that some of my fading interest in the game is related to the fact that professional baseball has gotten away from its roots.
This is why I loved going to see a Cape Cod Baseball League game when Leanne and I vacationed in Cape Cod a few weeks ago. The teams in the league are made up of college baseball players who are looking for a way to work on their skills over the summer. Players come from all over the country to play in this league. They are not paid. They live with volunteer host families. And the games which are played at a high level are free to the public. Players actually walk around during the game to accept entries into the game’s 50-50 drawing which is used to help offset travel expenses for the team.
We went to a game between the Cotuit Kettleers and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. We literally sat on top of the home team’s dugout. We could hear the players talking. We saw players who were not yet tarnished by the riches of the big leagues. We saw the game of baseball the way it was meant to be played.
Our evening in Hyannis was a reminder that it can be important to get back to the basics. We allow so many things to come along and distract us from why and how we started doing what we’re doing – whether it’s work, school, church, or even family. It’s easy to be distracted by the next big thing. It’s not steroids or free agency, but we are often distracted by other things like non-stop activities, efforts to accumulate the most toys and gadgets, or a drive to climb higher on the corporate ladder. These things by themselves may not be bad, but I think we often lose sight of why we started a family or why we started working. I think it’s important to get back to the basics, so we can rediscover our love for “the game”.
Has the push for more taken away your love of “the game”?
What can you do today to bring back the love?
Keep Going
I took this picture on our Cape Cod vacation a couple of weeks ago. It’s a boardwalk that takes you out to the edge of the marsh from Grey’s Beach in Yarmouth Port, MA. I ran out to the end of the boardwalk three of the mornings we were there.
In the picture, it appears that the boardwalk goes on forever.
Some days, things can seem like this. We have a tough day at work. Our parenting doesn’t seem to be making any head way with our kids. Perhaps, we’re facing health issues that seem unbearable.
The Bible provides encouragement to keep going when we’re ready to give up. I often draw encouragement from these verses:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
One of the last day’s that we were in Cape Cod, I took Leanne out to the end of the boardwalk to enjoy the walk and view together. The long walk was well worth it!
What are you facing today that seems like it could go on forever – that seems overwhelming or unbearable? What keeps you going?
God Can Use Our Junk
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Phil Olson. Phil is the pastor at Church on the Mall which meets at the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Phil was also a partner in ministry with my dad in Mt. Holly, NJ while my dad served at a church there. I happen to work ten minutes away from this mall, so it was convenient to hook-up for lunch. (I don’t know why we don’t do that more often.)
Phil and I caught up about friends from our NJ hometown. We shared about our families. And we prayed together. It was truly a blessing to be with this friend (even though he’s a big New York Mets fan).
Recently, Phil has been working as a chaplain at Cancer Treatment Centers of America one day a week. At first, this doesn’t sound all that strange, but Phil will tell you that this wasn’t something he had considered before this opportunity came along. Phil admitted that he didn’t have the training of most hospital chaplains. One thing that sets Phil apart from the other chaplains is that he is a cancer survivor. When patients learn this fact, they are more receptive to Phil. They relate to Phil, because he knows their pain. Obviously, Phil wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone – including himself, but he has realized that God can use his cancer along with his other “junk” to help others.
As our discussion continued, I was reminded that I have “junk” in my own life that allows me to relate to people on a different level. For example, the struggles that we have dealt with through my wife’s illness have given me (and our family) a deeper understanding and compassion for families that are impacted by mental illness. God can use my “junk” to help others and to draw me closer to Him.
As we concluded our discussion, Phil prayed for me using the following scripture from Isaiah 40:
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
I am thankful for Phil’s encouragement and the reminder that God can use our “junk” for His glory.
We’ve all got “junk” in our lives. How is God using you through your “junk”?
Savor The Flavor
Here is a guest post by Alex Humphrey. Alex is an author, coach, entrepreneur, husband, and Christ-follower. I have enjoyed following Alex on his blog for the past couple of months, and he graciously agreed to share his thoughts and talents with us today. I love what he has to say below. Please chime in on his questions, and don’t forget to get connected with Alex. Besides his blog, you can follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
Last week my wife and I had “a talk”. We haven’t been communicating well and it has left us feeling frustrated and making it hard to be open with one another.
It took a while, but we finally figured out what was going on:
- My wife lingers on ideas. She sees books, movies, and even the Bible like a delicious meal where each bite needs to be savored, experienced, and understood before she can move on to the next.
- I try to understand the ideas quickly so I can move onto the next one. If my thoughts were a meal it would be an all-you-can-eat buffet and I’d be doing my best to finish off 10 plates in 20 minutes.
After our conversation, God made it clear: I need to linger more.
Knowing God isn’t something that can be done quickly. We must experience him. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good”. The experience of lingering on a delicious bite is the same experience of understanding the goodness of God.
There are 3 lessons I’ve taken from this:
- One thing at a time – More than that and I miss out on something.
- Experience every moment – life is a marathon, not a sprint. Every moment should be experienced and enjoyed.
- Work until it’s done – My method leaves a lot of projects unfinished. From now on, part of experiencing every moment is finishing what I start.
When was the last time you really experienced an event in your life? What are you doing to help you experience more of them?
Celebrating 15 Years!
Today, I celebrate 15 years of marriage to my best friend and my soul mate. There’s been far more adventure than I could have ever imagined. I’m thankful for each day. And I’m so thankful that we are “stuck” together.
What were you doing 15 years ago on this day?
Faith Stretch
Here is a guest post by Beck Gambill. Beck is an author, mentor, wife, mother, and Christ-follower. I have enjoyed following Beck on her blog for the past month, and she graciously agreed to share her thoughts and talents with us today. Her writing is inspired and beautiful, and I love what she shares below and how she says it. Please chime in on her questions, and don’t forget to get connected with Beck. Besides her blog, you can follow her on Twitter.
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
Lately the very fibers and sinews of my heart are being pulled tight in a deep faith stretch. Three months ago my husband, Chris, and I took a risky step of faith. After serving as worship pastor for four years in a Wyoming church, due to some difficult circumstances and God’s leading, we left our place of ministry trusting God had a plan. My human assumption was that the plan would be revealed quickly and before long we would be serving in a new place of ministry. I was wrong.
We are thankful for dear friends who have graciously opened their home providing a place for us to stay while we wait. Yet I’ve learned it’s not good for a man to live without fulfilling work or a woman to be without a home. God knows this.
There are moments in the waiting that fear and hurt swell, choking off my breath. There are also moments of deep joy. The difference, I find, lies in the abiding. A tenacious sitting at Jesus feet decides if I will sink in despair or soar on wings of faith. Time in the word of God fills my heart with life-sustaining truth that counteracts the lies I would otherwise believe. Lies that say; God doesn’t see you, he has abandoned you, you’re not good enough, you have failed, you will never know fulfillment.
Daily I come, I press on, my spiritual muscles stretched and strengthened. As I come Jesus is always faithful to meet me. He recently revived my heart with the words of Psalm 18. Are you weary from the journey of life, stretched by your limitations or circumstances? Let me share some of those verses with you.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry to him reached his ears…
He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded himself in darkness,
veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him
and rained down hail and burning coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded
amid the hail and burning coals…
He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters…
He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
Can you see the God of heaven leap to his feet at the sound of your voice crying out in need. Imagine him take flight on the wings of an angel, thundering his approach, reaching down his mighty hand to rescue you! Like a mother stalking across the playground, determined eyes focused, set to rescue her child from the bully, so is our God with his own children. In a purely physical sense we may not see God on the move but we can be sure when we call out in need he hears and acts.
In the midst of messy circumstances God is stretching my heart to trust him. He challenges me to show up daily to sit at his feet to be fed. As I obey, my heart is comforted that God sees me, he rescues me and it’s his delight to do so.
Are you being stretched through difficult circumstances? How has God reminded you of his care?
God in the Spaces
Today, I have the honor of presenting my dad, Norman Stolpe, as my guest blogger. I have so many things that I could write about in describing my dad. He has probably been one of my biggest writing influences. Dad helped me through my senior year of Honors English in high school. Writing has always surrounded Dad as he has written books, stories, curriculum, poems, and countless sermons. He is a true inspiration to me. Today, he shares about finding God in the Spaces. I think you’ll enjoy what he has to share. To read more from my dad, you can follow him on his blogs: Christlink and Writing Workshop.
(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment. I’d love to connect with you.)
Monastery of St. Scholastica - "Ora et Labora"
My son Jon asked if I would write something for his Stretched blog about how I am being stretched by my current transition. After 35 years of ordained ministry and long-term relationships with three churches (one exception was 2 years), I “retired” from Central Christian Church in Dallas, Texas where I had been the pastor for almost 11 years. I am viewing this as a transition to a new phase of ministry as an interim pastor. I am in conversation with a couple of congregations, and the prospect of serving one of them by September is encouraging, but nothing is definite yet.
I believe I am being stretched as I watch for the presence of God in this in between space. Though I have intentionally described this as a transition, I am learning to accept that other people label it “retirement.” I am anticipating several years of active, full-time ministry, but I am adjusting to recognizing how major this transition is.
My wife, Candy, and I consciously started down this path couple of years ago and worked with Central Christian Church for a transparent, smooth, healthy transition for their pastoral leadership. My last Sunday to preach was May 29, and my successors (Revs. Drs. Steve and Debbie Chisolm) will preach for the first time July 10. God’s hand in that process was gentle but clear to us and the congregation.
I have been amazed at how many seemingly minor details have fallen into place for exactly the right timing as our transition has unfolded so far. I have felt that this has stretched my faith to expect the details will continue to fall into place at just the right time as it becomes clear which congregation we will be serving next. We know we will have an income gap of at least a month, hoping to fill it with supply preaching and temp work. So far we seem to have navigated the uncertainties and ambiguities with minimal anxiety.
However, reflecting on that is stretching me in another direction. I have to ask myself, “Why should I expect my path to be smooth with everything provided at just the right time? Other people who are at least as faithful to Jesus have to endure hardship and deprivation on their paths. I certainly don’t deserve to be exempt.”
In this in between space, I feel the tension between trusting God, perhaps presumptuously, and the pull of frantic activity to bring in income and perhaps force a premature decision about where we will serve. I believe I have to take responsible steps as acts of faith that God is the one actually orchestrating events. I am reminded of the inscription above the door of the Monastery of St. Scholastica (St. Benedict’s sister) in Subiaco, Italy (and other Benedictine monasteries). “Ora et Labora” pray and work. The priority is to pray first. Then work finds its place in harmony with God’s activity.
My patience is being stretched, not in the sense of anxious impatience, but recognizing that church processes move slowly. God is patient too, not just with our individual foibles, but also with the unhurried unfolding of history. With this stretching patience, I am learning to watch for God to slip the smallest details into place at just the right time. As I recognize God’s hand in the details, I am also learning that God’s story doesn’t revolve around me and having my journey unfold smoothly, but that I am privileged to play some part in God’s greater plan. If I will be patient, I will discern just how the details fit at just the right time.
How have you seen God in the spaces of your life?
Transformation Reminders – Looking Back Brings Perspective
Leanne and I on our Fat Tire Bike Tour while in Paris in 2006
Yesterday morning, I enjoyed an eight mile bike ride on the Perkiomen Trail with my wonderful wife. We rode on a section of the trail that I haven’t been on for a while. I used to come here often. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this out and back section between Spring Mountain and Green Lane Park. I like it, because it’s shaded most of the way, it’s fairly flat, and it’s right alongside the Perkiomen Creek.
As I consider the possibility of ramping up training to run the upcoming Amish Country Bird In Hand Half Marathon on September 10, 2011, I realize that I’ll probably return to this area to log some of my longer runs. Several years ago, I logged a lot of miles on this section as I trained for full and half marathons.
On Sunday, I returned to New Jersey with our family to enjoy a picnic/party with some friends. It was a huge blessing to see these friends and their families again. I lived in this area for almost 17 years of my life. In many way, this is my home (although I don’t have family there any longer). I grew up here around these people. Sure it was somewhat embarrassing to be reminded of some of the crazier things of my youth, but it was also gratifying to hear how my generation of teenagers made an impact on our youth leaders.
Returning to a forgotten section of trail and returning to my hometown area – how do these relate? I think it can be healthy to get back to our roots – to go back to the past.
Sometimes, this can be painful as it reveals broken relationships and failures that we’d rather forget. I get that, and I know it can hurt. But I think looking back can also show us how far we’ve come. It also gives us a chance to renew our appreciation for where we’ve come from in life.
As I look back on the last four years of my blog and the last two months of my journal, I can see God’s faithfulness. I can see areas of challenge and growth in my life. And I can see how God is chipping away at this rockhead – how God is molding me like clay – to be continually transformed into a new creation. Going back reminds me of this fact.
When you look back at your past, how can you see that God is transforming you? Where do you go to be reminded of your past?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17