“Peace”… need I say more?

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. (Psalm 23.2,3).

A true, deep peace of mind, heart, and consciousness is desperately rare today. Every year over 200 million working days are lost due to depression and mental illness alone cost employers anywhere from $17-44 billion. The bill for tranquilizing medication is up to $16 billion each year.

These verses breathe a glorious atmosphere of peace. Lying down suggests contentment and rest. Green pastures speak of the tender, sweet grasses which are always rich, fresh, and satisfying. There is nothing stagnant about the quiet waters mentioned here; they’re refreshing and peaceful. Restoring makes one think of something broken being mended. Today we see all around us broken hearts, homes, marriages, lives, and health.

Only Jesus can make these magnificent promises come true for us. The New Testament is full of references to the peace He offers. The gospel is called the “gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6.15). Six times God is called the “God of peace” (e.g. Philippians 4.9). The fruit of the Holy Spirit includes peace (Galatians 5.22). The most common greeting in the New Testament letters is “grace and peace” (e.g. Colossians 1.2). Jesus promised peace to His disciples (John 14.27; 16.33), and Paul prayed that the Christians in Rome and Colossae would be filled with peace (Romans 14.17; Colossians 3.15)

Peace is an essential attribute of the godly woman or man. Without it our thoughts, speech, and actions will reflect fear, selfishness, greed, suspicion, and/or restlessness. Peace cultivates compassion, self-sacrifice, fortitude, and risk. It allows us to exercise strength beneficially rather than destructively. Peace brings freedom to love beyond the boundaries of our current circumstances.

On the night in which Jesus was betrayed, John records, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.” (John 13.3-6). Here is a picture of a man at peace!

Would you take a moment right now to ask the Lord to give you peace for any area that is fraught with turbulence. And then look around you this week— at home, at play, and at work— I think you will see that you are surrounded by people who are looking for peace. Do you realize that you can make a difference in their lives? You know the One who gives peace unconditionally.

Run! …Don’t drift!

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air… Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

1 Corinthians 9:24-26; Hebrews 12:1, NRSV

Last week we defined “drifting” as the motion of women and men who have lost touch with their God, their relationships, their vision, their convictions, and their priorities. The good news is that drifting does not possess terminal velocity! It can be overcome— but to do so, a “drifter” must become a “runner.” In the New Testament, Paul uses the word, “run” (Gk. trecho) to describe how the Christian life is directed towards a goal which mandates that a runner apply all one’s strength. Runners must keep pace and fix their eyes on the finish line because the race, Paul describes, will last a lifetime.

Here is a sobering discovery I have learned about myself: if I stop running, I will start drifting. Therefore I must cultivate a life which can maintain the pace for faith’s marathon.

Here are seven critical needs I have discovered that are essential to my long run…

1. Runners need vision and understanding of the course set before them. Vision comes through prayer and bible study. This is fundamental and there are no substitutes. Scripture and prayer define my course, my pacing, and the standards of victory. Their absence is the first sign that I am at risk.

2. Runners need strength. How can I possibly expect to run a race like this without fatigue? Its duration is a sure sign that the demands are inhuman. I need the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes He comes like a mighty torrent and at other times as indiscernible as the oxygen I breathe. But at all times His presence in and through me will be tangibly evident by visible signs of His activity in me (i.e. assurance of my salvation, my adoption in Jesus as my Father’s son, the deluge of grace, a Spirit-release language of prayer — just to name a few).

3. Runners need heroes. I learn from those who have won and/or are further along than I am. The problem is that most women and men lack heroes who are Christian. Relationships with older Christians has had a profound impact on my life. Now I am discovering as an older man that my heroes can be much younger and still further along than me. All of this might simply mean that I am a painfully slow learner that is easily lapped by any age group!

Also devotional reading is strategic— get your hands on a copy of My Utmost For His Highest (Oswald Chambers), Morning and Evening (C. H. Spurgeon), anything by Tozer.

4. Runners need camaraderie. Show me anyone without good friends and I will show you a person who is most likely drifting. I have found that nights out (movies, sports, etc..) as well as honest and sharing relationships are critical to my race. It is easy to have many acquaintances, but few friends. The race is not intended to be lonely.

5. Runners need healthy diversions, learning opportunities, and creative outlets. For me this includes playing sports, working out, photography, night walks with the dog, a good film, trip to the museum, reading, and music. Leisure and creativity steadies my pace, increases focus, and mitigates burn out.

6. Runners need rest. Sleep, rest, quiet … without these I will suffer fatigue and I will drift. I cannot run this race without sabbath.

7. Married runners need emotionally fulfilling marriages whose covenant fidelity prohibits misplacing our desire in diversions, distractions, and/or detours that will certainly induce drift. Misplaced desires will set us adrift as we are blown about from one diversion to another.

As I age, I have become painfully self-aware that “It only takes two!” If any two from the above list are missing on a consistent basis, I am perilously close to drifting— make it three and the drifting will have already commenced.

Years ago a close friend and mentor challenged me to take the steps I needed to run a good race. To highlight the challenge before me he said, “Mark, everyone wants you to enjoy a long life and to be fruitful. You will need to be more disciplined than you are. Take exercise for example. Carol wants you to be in shape but she will not want you to take the time away from her. Your children will want you to live a long time and remain fit— but not on the family’s time. Your congregation will not want an out-of-shape pastor, nor will they want you to take the time. And I know you… In your desire to honor God, Carol, your children, and the congregation you won’t give yourself permission to exercise. What are you going to do?!” This question remains before me as I seek to run the race…

Fellow saint, if this note finds you drifting, please don’t let condemnation, regret, or fatigue persuade you that you are disqualified.

Fellow saints!

You were reborn to run…

Why do you say, “My way is hidden from the LORD…” Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27-31, NRSV).

I hope this has been helpful…

Drifting… “it takes you away from where you want to be.”

Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. (Hebrews 2.1)

The dictionary defines “drifting” as

“1. an act or instance of being driven or carried along, as by a current of air or water or by circumstances. 2. a) a gradual shifting in position b) a random course, variation, or deviation.”

Drifting is also the movement of women and men who have lost touch with their God, their relationships, their vision, their convictions, and their priorities. It is a malaise that afflicts everyone when we continually allow circumstances, urgency, convenience, desires, pride, and disappointment to carry us along. Drifting is tantamount to abdication or surrender because drifters are consigned to “go with the flow.” When we drift we maintain the illusion of authority and responsibility, but in reality, we are simply dismantling our vision, values, priorities, hopes, and dreams to accommodate the current which carries us away. As we drift worship become a mere habit, devotions an empty obligation, inpiration and mission erode and become status quo and mediocrity.

Last week I spent time with a couple of pastors who are drifting. In both cases, they are feeling distant from God (who they believe in) and their wives (whom they love). Some of the tell-tale symptoms of “drifting” were prevalent:

• distance from God (“God seems so distant… prayer feels empty… ministry feels pointless… I am leading on auto-pilot”)

• distance from their wives and friends: (“My wife and I are not communicating… I feel closer to the people that I work with… Our love life is non-existent… my friendships feel shallow… I don’t connect with anyoneI am starting to go out with coworkers before going home…”

• distance from themself: (“I feel so out-of-shape… I need to work out… I feel restless… nothing much seems to satisfy me… I don’t read anymore… nothing inspires me… I never thought I would hear myself say these kinds of things.”)

When I was twelve, my Uncle and I “put out to sea.” After about two hours our engine went dead and we started to drift. He tried everything but to no avail. There were only two things to do: drop anchor and call for help..

When we are drifting, God promises to answer our call (cry?) with His living hope – a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. His hope will secure us and then, like a lifeline, He will pull us into His very presence where Jesus, running ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post (Hebrews 6.19-20).

We all go through seasons when we drift— anyone who tells you she or he hasn’t is lying or dead! You are not alone. You need not drift any farther. Friend, if you are drifting, why not take a moment now to drop your anchor and call out to the Lord to embrace and strengthen you with His living hope.

[Next week I’ll share some insights that have helped this drifter (me) stay on course.]

3 lessons & a hazard

The Bible, the Holy Scriptures, is a spiritual book. Its many writers, spanning at least 1600 years, were inspired by the Spirit of God to give us His word— a word for all people everywhere and throughout all time. And because it is a spiritual book, we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand it. Nevertheless, we have a part to play— and the people of Berea (Acts 17) set us a good example:

These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. Many of them, therefore, believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing. (Acts 17.11,12).

Let me share with you three basic lessons we can learn from the Bereans in Acts 17 and conclude with one occupational hazard we are uniquely susceptible to as teachers and preachers of God’s Word.

3 Lessons
First, they were willing to learn: “They welcomed the message.“ Clearly, they were open to God. Before we read the Bible, we need to be quiet in God’s presence and welcome God’s voice to speak His Word in a penetrating way that overcomes any resistance to the message He will bring to us. Welcoming His message will require a daily willingness to surrender.

Second, they were disciplined: they “examined the Scriptures every day.“ This is where scheduled Bible reading guides (The Lectio, Life Journal, Lectionary, Chronological Bible, etc.) may prove helpful. Don’t compare your Bible reading schedule with anyone else’s. Some read through the Bible in a year. Others choose the First Testament or the Second Testament to read through in a year. Still, others focus on a single book. What matters is the daily devotion, not the annual bragging rights for the quantity covered.

Third, they were obedient: “Many of them believed.“ This book is not for the merely curious. God uses it to change lives. When God speaks, we must act. Bonhoeffer, in his masterpiece, The Cost of Discipleship observed: “It is so hard to believe because it is so hard to obey... only the one who believes obeys and only the one who obeys believes.“ We are wasting our time when we read the Word without a readiness to obey the Word. Perhaps, even worse than wasting our time is the fact that reading the Scriptures without a willingness to submit to the Scriptures will cultivate a hardened heart and a resistant spirit that is indifferent to the Word we read.

This leads me to an occuptational hazard particularly common to pastors…

Our Occupational Hazard
Forgive me if I am projecting my own experience, but I think sermon-mining is an occupational hazard facing every pastor who conscientiously endeavors to fulfill their sacred responsibility to teach and preach God’s Word. It is the well-intentioned, but compromised, habit of daily Bible reading with one eye and ear open on behalf of the congregations we serve. The “eureka“ of sermon-mining is the verse and accompanying insight that elicits a “that will preach!“ I found, in my life, it quickly took over as my reason for reading the Scriptures daily and frequently led to disappointment when my efforts produced nothing.

Semon-mining eventually makes our Bible reading a surrogate experience where we actually end up reading the Bible — mining God’s word on behalf of others. Ultimately, this will misdirect our attention, stunt our spiritual growth, and foster a gentle yet pastoral legalism that is better equipped to spot the splinter in our congregants‘ eyes rather than the plank in our own.

So if this is a hazard, how do we avoid it? Let me share what liberated me.

Several years ago, while I thought I was engaged in my daily Scripture reflection, I felt the Spirit of God convict me, saying: “Don’t bother with your reading. Come back when you are wanting me to speak with you and for you.“ That morning, God’s convicting word was like an intervention. For all of my daily discipline, I had fallen into the very dangerous space of reading the Bible for the purpose of telling others. When I asked God for a solution, He inspired me to put a “firewall“ around my daily Bible reading. Nothing I would read and/or write down was allowed to be “sermonized“ for a minimum of one year! This remains true to this day. This simple practice transformed the meaning and restored the value of welcoming God’s word to me daily with fresh expectancy.

In Conclusion
Jerome, the 4th-century translator of  the Scriptures into Latin, observed, “The bulwark of the Church is that person who is well grounded in Scripture.“ What would the communities we pastor look like if we were benefiting from minds and hearts that were filled with life-giving and life-shaping knowledge of God’s Word? Jesus promises that anyone alive to the Word of God-- whether pastor or congregant--  will be the one who holds it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patient endurance. (see Luke 8.15)

Let me conclude with this confession of DietrichBonhoeffer — a 20th-Century Berean::

I read the Bible in the morning and the evening and often during the day as well.  And every day I consider a text which I have chosen for the whole week and try to sink deeply into it, so as really to hear what it is saying.  I know that without this I could not live properly any longer.  And I certainly could not believe.

Patience… really?!

“I had my patience tested. It was negative” Unknown

“Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.” Guy Kawasaki

“I wish I was as thin as my patience.” Unknown

I am not a patient person… I thought I might be until the shelter-in-place of 2020 disrupted my serene life by telling me all the things I could not do — even if I wanted to! Such is the reality of human nature… that is why I enjoy the cartoon above!

Confession: I think I have learned to wear the facade of patience, but I realize on many occasions, there is little behind the mask. I fear the “gown of patience” is little more than the “emperor’s new clothes” on me.

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently… (Romans 8.25)

But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. (1Timothy 1.16)

There are two Greek words in the New Testament that are translated as “patience.” One is upomeno which is comprised of two words meaning to “remain under.” The other word is makrothumia which again is made up of two words meaning “long temper.” While they appear, on the surface, to be used interchangeably in the New Testament, they actually have distinct meanings. Upomeno means patience in relation to difficult circumstances, and makrothumia means patience in relation to difficult people. The King James Bible translates the latter by the English phrase, “long-suffering,” which generally means a forbearing, patient spirit before those who do things that irritate, agitate, or generally “bug” us. Paul frequently uses this word in counsel with the leaders and fellowships he corresponded with.

Here is the challenge that confronts me: I can be a patient leader when it comes to endurance and perseverance (upomeno) amidst obstacles and circumstances. Yet, at the same time, I can be a leader completely lacking in patience (makrothumia) with the very people God is calling me to serve. Upomeno will be tested by circumstances; makrothumia will be tested in community.

Makrothumia patience is not the passive tolerance of another’s irritating behaviors or opinions. It is not the quiet endurance of irregular personalities, and neither should it be confused with the capacity to remain silent in the presence of people whose words and ways you may find outrageous. Do not confuse patience for self-discipline — the latter does not define the former.

A quick reading of the New Testament passages containing this word (see below) indicates that patience involves intentional personal engagement that endures resistance, indifference, or offense in the hope of engaging lives with Jesus. In this light, patience is the tangible expression of the grace of Christ meeting us where we are and abiding with us despite who we are so that we may grow in the likeness of Him.

This has two immediate implications for me:

1. We can only bring the Kingdom when we welcome the Spirit-filled endowment for patience. Impatient grace is an oxymoron — a contradiction in terms. Hostility, judgmentalism, and intolerance will sabotage God’s gracious patience (see Romans 2.3-4) and, therefore, undermine our mission and our missional effectiveness. It will be the undeserved and unconditional constancy and consistency of God’s grace expressed through intentionally patient engagement that will persuade lives to surrender to Jesus.

2. A united covenant community can only be secured with patience. Community is messy. Whether that community be a small group, a local congregation, an online congregation, a Western District, or a Foursquare denomination. Communities without patience suffer anxiety because there is no confidence that we are in this together for the long haul. Fragile is the community that fears it is one disagreement away from disintegration. It is makrothumia, not agreement, that secures the covenant unity that I believe God longs for on our behalf. It relentlessly persists despite disagreement, it will not retreat in the wake of gossip or backbiting, nor will it give up contending for the unity we are commanded to embrace.

Without patience, our unity will be unobtainable and our mission will be unfruitful.

This summer, Carol and I will celebrate 45 years of marriage. Our marriage has not been secured by our mutual agreements, the expressions of kindness, or our fidelity. Ultimately, it has been secured by makrothumia patience — this patience assures each other that we will be committed to one another despite our disagreements, unkind words, or seasons of “distance.” We will persist and cover one another with patience until that day when Christ is fully formed in both of us.

Western District, will you join me in praying for patience to multiply among us?

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Scriptures with makrothumia - what do you learn when you read these verses?

Rom. 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Rom. 9:22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for destruction,

2Cor. 6:6 in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love,

Gal. 5:22    By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,

Eph. 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Col. 1:11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully

Col. 3:12    Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

1Tim. 1:16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.

2Tim. 3:10    Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,

2Tim. 4:2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.

Heb. 6:12 so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

James 5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

1Pet. 3:20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight lives, were saved through water.

2Pet. 3:15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,

Jesus dull?! Give me a break!

Last Saturday, I flew from San Diego to Oakland to speak at The Rock in Danville, Ca. I was sitting next to a woman who asked me the proverbial question, “What do you do?” I did not give her my usual answer (more on this another time), which usually creates conversation. I wanted to discourage conversation, so I simply answered, “I’m a pastor.” She clicked her tongue patronizingly and said, “Christianity? No thanks… too dull for me.”

That was the last answer I expected… honestly, I was momentarily speechless before I responded: “Your answer really caught me off guard. In the first-century world that witnessed the birth of Christianity, friend and foe alike had many descriptive words for Christianity, but I can assure you that “dull” was not on the list! Please forgive us if we have given you that impression. In fact, today, around the world, people are discovering a fullness of life they had only dreamed of before meeting Jesus.”

We proceeded to have a great discussion that ended in my inviting her to the church… But it did cause me to reflect on what I wish I had been prepared to say. If God ever gives me a “do-over” with this conversation, I would want to answer with the following.

For we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard. (Acts 4.20)

There is nothing dull about Jesus. Jesus is the most compelling personality in history. In His day, some may have thought Him subversive, others radical, and still others considered Him dangerous. The one word no one would have considered using was dull. More books have been written about Him, more music composed to honor Him, and more art directed towards Him than any other figure in history. Go to nearly any country today, and you will meet people who vividly describe their personal encounters with Him. In fact, no minute of the day passes without men, women, youth, and children singing His praise and extolling His majesty. The sun never sets on the praises of His people.

There is nothing dull about His teaching. No boring dos and don’ts. No long sermons filled with empty and esoteric jargon. No theological abstractions or spiritual elitism. His teaching was memorable and powerful. Nearly all of His most revered teachings were spoken outdoors. Women and children, as well as men, were invited to listen— and listen, they did! On one occasion, over 5,000 gathered to listen to this teacher from Nazareth. He spoke about money, sex, power, forgiveness, anger, peace, apocalyptic futures, heaven, hell, marriage, divorce, lust, and greed. His perspective was frequently revolutionary but never dull!

There is nothing dull about the claims of Jesus. He claimed to teach the truth with the final authority of God Himself. He claimed to be able to forgive sins— something only God can do! He claimed that He would judge the world. He claimed that He was able to satisfy the deepest longing of the human heart. He claimed to be God’s Son. He claimed the right to receive worship. C.S. Lewis says it best when he comments:

The really foolish thing that people say about Him is that “I’m ready to accept Him as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—  on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—  or else He would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

There is nothing dull about His challenge. Jesus did not send people away to write books, sequester themselves in monasteries, require celibacy, or offer good advice. He did not mince words when He said: “Come to me,” “Follow me,” “Sell all you have,” “Lay down your life for me,” or “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?” He challenged his followers to pay their taxes, to love their enemies, to bless their oppressors, to become servants, to rejoice in their sufferings, to love one another as He had loved them, and to take up their own cross and follow Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer summarized Christ’s challenge this way: “When Christ calls people, He bids them come and die.”

Anyone who finds Him dull has not found Him. That person may have seized the counterfeit clone that religion can create, but she or he does not know Jesus! The Jesus I know will love you, surprise you, convict you, empower you, send you, free you, purify you, fill you, lead you, discipline you, forgive you, save you, deliver you, and bless you. There is no boredom in His presence. Even silence and stillness become alive with the fullness of His presence.

No, there is nothing dull about Jesus… My prayer is that our life, leadership, and witness in Christ will be a living repudiation of this lie… and I pray that next time I will be more prepared!

what is your greatest challenge?

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” And the captain of the Lord’s  host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5.13-15)

That was then… this is now…

Then Joshua was forty years younger…
Then Moses was in charge…
Then God seemed to work miracles daily…
Then there was so much momentum, but…

Then common sense supplanted faith…
Then the people abandoned their future to fear…
Then the nation wandered for forty years…
Then Joshua witnessed the death
of his generation…

But that was then, and this is now…

Now Joshua is forty years older…
Now Jericho’s walls are no smaller…
Now Jericho’s streets are no less populated…
Now Jericho’s might has not diminished…

Now Joshua is forty years older…
Now he stands before a fortified city…
Now he has no battle plans…
Now the risks of defeat are real…

Now Joshua is forty years older—and the underdog.
Now his troops are young and inexperienced…
Now he does not hold a strategic position…
Now he lacks the element of surprise…
Now he needs a miracle…

That was then… this is now…

Then it was the eve of a great battle…
Then behold! A man was standing opposite him…
Then the man’s sword was drawn…
Then Joshua lifted up his eyes and looked…

Now Joshua is still forty years older…
Now he is not the warrior he once was…
Now Joshua is still a man of vision;
Now there is still hope…
Now Joshua still sees...

Jericho is not just a city to conquer…
Jericho is not merely the enemy…
Jericho is not simply an obstacle to overcome…
Jericho is not a racial issue (Jew vs. Gentile)…
Jericho is not solely the execution of divine wrath…

Now Joshua is forty years older…
Now Joshua is a man of vision and
Now Joshua sees the truth…

Before Jericho falls…
Joshua must bow…
Before Jericho is defeated…
Joshua must surrender…

Loved ones, you stand at the threshold of a strategic season full of our Father’s opportunities for you. Yet vision without surrender is thinly disguised vanity. Your greatest challenge for this season will not be cultural trends, social indifference, or shallow commitments. Your greatest challenge will not be acquisitions, growth, change, loss, sorrow or your age.

Your greatest challenge will be to bow fully and surrender daily to Jesus Christ. This means surrendering to Him everything in your life that you are currently withholding. It even requires surrendering our limiting ideas of what surrendering to Jesus means. It means yielding to a surrender that will daily disrupt our lives. Past surrenders do not give you a pass from daily surrender. Surrender is similar to manna… it dissolves each day the moment our head hits the pillow. It must be summoned daily and deliberately engaged.

Joshua learned that God does not take sides but calls us to surrender to His…

Who I believe in…

Statements of belief are common to all organizations and institutions. Statements of faith are common to spiritual organizations. Every Christian denomination has one… most churches do too. But I think it is important that I also be able to express my own confession of faith, not because it is better but because it is personal. Birthed from my own encounters with God and doubtlessly and gratefully shaped by God’s people, the Church, over time and place…

This short statement is more than a creed; it is a celebration of new life given by God that I cherish and endeavor to live by. My faith defines me, and my faith inspires me.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.. (Hebrews 13.8)

I believe in Jesus Christ!
   I receive Him as our Savior;
      I worship Him as Lord; and
         I await His promised return.

I worship Him with many titles because no single attribution is sufficient to describe His presence, power, promise, and personality. Therefore I call Him:
   Savior and Lord
      Son of God and Son of Man
         Lamb of God and Good Shepherd
            King of Kings and Prince of Peace
               Our Ransom and Redeemer
                  Healer and Deliverer
                     Suffering Servant and Mighty God.

I recognize that Jesus exceeds our attempts to describe Him because while He was simply a man He was also nothing less than wholly God. This most wonderful of mysteries is not intended to confuse us; it is intended to compel us to bow before an awesome God who would cross the frontier of our sin and brokenness to reconcile, redeem, and restore us to Himself.

In Jesus, I see the Creator who has become a Creature
   The One in whom all things hold together and
      The One by Whom and for Whom I was made.
In Jesus, I behold the face of God and learn that God is a Father
   Who freely gives up His one and only Son so that
      He might adopt and endow countless more as His own children.
In Jesus, I recognize that all the promises of God find their fulfillment in Him.
   Therefore I regard the Bible, the written Word, to be the completely
      trustworthy testimony, without error, to the Living Word, Jesus.
In Jesus, I witness the power of God
   That heals the sick
      That breaks down strongholds of evil
         That delivers the afflicted.

Through Jesus, I can enjoy lives filled, flooded, and baptized with the living water of the Holy Spirit,
   given by the Father through the Son
      to advocate, counsel, comfort, assure, anoint, empower, and gift
         every life surrendered to Him.
Through Jesus, God assures and the Spirit testifies
   that I am His child in life and through death
      unto the forever life with Him that I long and live for.

© Mark Slomka 2023