God Revealed Through Creation

There are few places I enjoy more than Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho.  It just so happens to be where our family is spending the week, thanks to the generosity of some wonderful people.  The community and surrounding area is something special.  It's difficult to look out our back door, behold the sight of the Smokey Mountains of Idaho, the Big Wood River, and various hiking trails and bike paths, and not think about the Creator of all that is.  I am in awe.  Perhaps you've experienced the same when you've been in the mountains or at the beach?

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to worship at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Woods.  No less than three Presbyterian Senior Pastors from other churches attended the 9:30 service.  I guess I'm not the only one who loves the area!  During the service, there was a group from Africa who led the worship singing.  They were fantastic!  They sang with incredible passion and, in the rich tradition of African worship, did a little dancing as well.  I think my hips may have swiveled on more than one occasion...unintentionally!

You can imagine my spiritual high.  Worshipping God in the midst of some beautiful country. It doesn't get any better than that, does it?  And then...

The guest preacher for the morning was introduced, and he stood up to address the congregation.  Don Schoendorfer is the founder and president of Free Wheelchair Mission (http://www.freewheelchairmission.org).  Their mission is to "provide the transforming gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries, as motivated by Jesus Christ."  I was startled to hear that 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries.  That number is staggering when you consider most of those people are without aid. During the message, he read a brief passage from the ninth chapter of John.  He then proceeded to show a video of residents in a village in Ghana.  Their mission group had arrived, and word quickly spread that they were giving away free wheelchairs.  To see so many people come, dragging themselves in the dirt or walking with the assistance of a staff was quite a sight.  The hope of mobility compelled them to come forward and they did so with great dignity.

In chapter nine of the Gospel of John, Jesus and his disciples encountered a man disabled by blindness.  The disciples pose to Jesus a question, inquiring as to who is to blame for his disability: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (9:2, NIV)

Isn't that the question that most of us ask, when we see a person who is suffering, disabled, poor, ill, etc?  Basically, we want to know who is to blame?  We tend to think of it as punishment for some misdeed.  Truth be told, some people who fall on hard times do so because of the poor choices they make.  There is no question.  For the person who was born disabled, however, their situation is not due to a poor "choice."  We tend to get frustrated with and ascribe blame to God when it happens to someone we love.  Why did you do this to him?

Jesus responds: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned... but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.  As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:3-5)

Jesus is not interested in ascribing blame.  The reality is we live in a broken and fallen world.  He is interested, however, in speaking about the purpose for which He came into the world.  Jesus is led by the Father to offer a sign that He is indeed the light of the world.  Specifically, He healed the blind man and through this miracle, demonstrated His authority and identity: the Savior of the world.

Our sufferings are always opportunities for God's grace to be revealed.  In the midst of the darkness, the light of Jesus can and does shine.  His compassion preceded the miracle, and we are to have the same compassion.  Elsewhere in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus articulates the expectation He has for His followers to be bearers of His light.

"You are the light of the world... In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-15)

Here's the lesson I learned in a nutshell:  Although God is revealed in the majesty of His creation: the mountains, rivers, oceans, etc., He is more clearly revealed through the compassion we extend to those who suffer, as we are the incarnational presence of Jesus to the world.  Both are equally beautiful!

Have a revealing week!

Leadership Like Saul or David?

On Sunday, I am traveling to Spokane to take part in the inaugural cohort of the Elder Leadership Institute (http://www.whitworth.edu/ELI/), led by Sara and Jim Singleton, Jerry Sittser, and Steve Macchia.  Two ruling elders, our clerk of session, and my wife, Margaret, will be attending with me, along with others from several churches.

As part of our preparation for this one week intensive, our group has read through and discussed the book Unleader: The Surprising Qualities of a Valuable Leader by Jane Overstreet.  The author compares and contrasts the leadership styles of Saul and David from the Old Testament.  Suffice it to say, Saul is lifted up as the not-so-stellar example while David is lifted up as the leader to emulate.  The difference between the two is that Saul's efforts are not in alignment with God, and David, although flawed just like any other human, continually seeks God's guidance and glorification.  Saul pursues his own agenda while David pursues God's, and his leadership flows from his relationship and intimacy with God.

We have had some great discussions about this book, as you might imagine.  Specifically, we engaged in conversations about how we, as leaders in the Church, can better live into the "old" new, biblical model of leadership.  This is a continuation of a journey and exploration about leadership that began with our church's working with TAG Consulting (more on that in a future post!).

Overstreet's book offers some very helpful questions for one to think about one's own leadership style, and to answer the main question posed to the reader, "Does My Leadership Look More Like Saul's or David's?"  Our group agreed that these questions are relevant, not just for those who are in leadership positions within a church, but also for anyone who supervises, oversees, and simply works with others.  The questions are as follows:

• Do I fear people more than God?
• Do I use up or build up people under my leadership?
• Do I put my interests before God's interests?
• Do I lead with integrity?
• Do I let people get close enough to really love me?
• Do I lead from the security of knowing God's love?

These questions have been convicting and encouraging at the same time.  We have been challenged to think about leadership through the lens of the Bible.  We have begun to understand leadership as an extension of the relationship and intimacy we have with God.  We have also talked about incorporating what we have learned/will learn into our elder selection/training at First Presbyterian Church of Yakima.  

I hope that you might find them useful.  They have certainly primed us for helpful conversations.  It should be a great week!

Not All Who Wander Are Lost...

Back when I was an Associate Pastor (2004-2005) at the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, Tennessee, I created this blog and intended it to be an outlet for thinking and writing.  The daily grind of pastoral ministry took up much of my time and energy in those days...and the blog dropped to the bottom of my priority list.  Although I tried once again in 2009 to resurrect the blog, it has taken me some time to find a regular rhythm to everyday life.  Part of that entailed understanding how I am wired.

Two years ago and as part of a consultation with TAG Consulting, I took the Strength Finders survey and discovered that two of my top five "strengths" are INPUT and LEARNER.  Thus, I learned that I am energized by studying, reading, and writing.  In fact, I love to process ideas out loud or on a keyboard.  When I do have the occasion to write, I never quite have the destination in mind.  I am encouraged by the wisdom of Tolkien's Gandalf when he wrote, "Not all...who wander are lost..."  Whether it's hiking, driving, or writing, I love to wander.

So, here we go again...Hopefully, the third time is the charm!

I hope to regularly write on this blog, especially as I now have been ordained for over nine years and am into my sixth year serving as Senior Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Yakima, Washington.  I have failed and succeeded.  I have cried and laughed.  At times, I have loved being a pastor, and other times, I am ready to become a park ranger.  All of these experiences have contributed to my maturation. Simply put, I have had much to process...

I would love it if you would "wander" with me!