Remembering the Challenger

While I was on the exercise bike at the YMCA, I saw on the nightly news that today is the 25th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster that killed all seven astronauts including Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher who had won a national competition to become the first teacher in space. It was an attempt by NASA to increase the public awareness and interest of our countries space program.

As I heard the news that this was the anniversary of that terrible accident in space, it brought back powerful memories for me. On January 28, 1986, I was teaching Mathematics at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, Kentucky. At the time of the Challenger Explosion, I was sitting in the teachers’ lounge eating lunch with my fellow teachers. I will never forget the shocking news over the intercom from the principal that the Challenger had exploded. My fellow teachers and I looked at each other in shock and dismay. The rest of the day, we rolled portable televisions into the classrooms and tried to help the students make sense of this terrible turn of events. This was especially tough for public school students since posters of Christa McAuliffe were displayed throughout the school building and they wrestled with the reality of a disaster that led to death.

One of the toughest challenges to many people’s faith is trying to understand why bad things happen to “good” people. This was the same challenge that a guy named Job, struggled with thousands of years ago. Job had lived a righteous life, but he suffered great loss and pain in his life. Through his pain Job searched for answers from the LORD and made the following observation: “How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear” (Job 14:1-2 NLT).

We might not ever be able to understand why tragedies and disasters happen to “good” people, but we can be certain that life is short. This realization reminds us of the importance of being prepared for eternity by having a personal relationship with God.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with life? Do you find your stress level increasing as you face some of the challenges at work or at home? Do you find yourself discouraged by setbacks at work or in your personal life? Does it seem at times like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that you feel needs to be accomplished?

At times I feel all of these emotions. And yet typically when I feel overwhelmed with the challenges of life, I recognize that my focus has been on my own strengths and abilities. Possibly, these were some of the emotions and struggles that the first followers of Jesus experienced as they failed to accomplish a “ministry objective” in healing a young man who suffered seizures.

It is interesting that Jesus did not critique their “healing techniques,” but instead he challenged their faith in God. Jesus told them, “You don’t have enough faith … I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible” (Matthew 17:20 NLT).

It appears to me that Jesus is calling us to get our focus off of ourselves and our limitations, and to focus instead on the LORD, His Power, and the limitless possibilities that exist with Him. In fact Jesus reminds us that it isn’t necessarily the size of our faith, but instead the focus of our faith that matters. Do you have even a small faith (“mustard seed faith”) in an awesome God?

Thoughts during a Snow Storm

Today, we are experiencing another beautiful Midwest winter day with snow steadily falling. The meteorologists are predicting an accumulation of 4 to 6 inches before this snow storm passes. Personally, I don’t mind winter and even find the challenges of driving in snow an added excitement to my day. I am truly a Midwestern in every way!

As the snow falls, we hear the weather “experts” giving us updates on the radio, television and various web sites. I am not knocking the advances in meteorological science, but sometimes I ask myself, “How much do they really know?”

It seems in our constant quest for knowledge and wisdom in any area of life, we are continually humbled by the reality that there is so much more to learn. Job, who lived a long time ago, was a man who wrestled with his faith and struggled with the same question. Job asked, “But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?” Job 28:20 NLT

Job concludes his question with the following observations: “God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding’” (Job 28:23-28 NLT).

We might not ever be able to completely understand why certain things happen in nature, but we can be certain who created nature. We can also be confident that the LORD is the One who created the laws of nature and that as Job said, “God alone understand the way to wisdom.” Let’s devote the rest of our lives to respecting the LORD, worshipping Him and honoring Him with our lives!!

Asking Questions in the Face of a Tragedy

This past weekend, we received the tragic news from Tucson, Arizona that a mentally ill individual shot into a crowd of people killing six people and wounding 14 others, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Throughout this week we have seen news reports and media attention surrounding this crisis including the funerals that are now taking place in Arizona. Much of the news media has focused on the serious wounds received by Representative Giffords, and please join me in praying for her, the others wounded, and the families that our mourning the loss of a loved one.

One of the challenges in the wake of a tragedy of this nature is to wrestle with some of the questions that surface in the aftermath. Is there someone to blame in addition to the shooter for this heinous, meaningless crime? Is this the result of our present social-political culture … or is this an isolated case of evil? And one of the consistent questions that emerges in the face of a tragedy (especially when young children are killed): Why didn’t God prevent this horrific event from happening?

I don’t have room in this short devotional to adequately address the questions above, and frankly I struggle with some of these questions as well. And yet one thing I am certain is that the LORD deeply loves everyone involved and He is deeply saddened by the evil that occurred last Saturday. By faith, I am also certain that the LORD will continue to answer prayers and that He will be at work even in this bad situation. The Apostle Paul wrote the follow promise to early believers in Rome who would suffer unjust persecution at the hand of the Roman Empire: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT

This Bible Passage does not say that everything that happens is good, nor are acts of evil part of God’s purpose. And yet this promise found in Scripture reminds us that God is always at work even in the face of evil. Please join me in praying that those who are grieving and hurting will turn to the LORD during this difficult time and that they will find strength. Also, let’s pray that God will be at work to accomplish lasting good in the lives of many in the face of this tragedy.

Tough Week for Construction

This week’s snowfall has made it a difficult one for construction. As you can see from the picture the equipment hasn’t moved since the big snowfall earlier this week. My prayer is that the weather will break so that more site work can continue later this week.

At the same time, it is January! Also, I am reminded of the comments by Job’s friend Elihu.* Elihu reminded Job, “God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. ‘He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.’” Job 37:5-7 NLT
So while the construction crew has stopped working, let’s be amazed by the power of God and the beauty of His creation!

* One of the challenges that I have as I read the book of Job is … Should we ever quote Job’s friends as a positive example? Since later in the book, the LORD rebuked them for speaking falsehood to Job (see Job 42:7-10) and yet the LORD doesn’t specifically rebuke Elihu.

A Hero Dies

Today, I heard the news that Dick Winters, who was the leader of Easy Company 506th Regiment 101st Airborne Division and fought heroically in World War 2 to help liberate Europe from the control of the Nazis, passed away last week. As a lover of history, I have enjoyed both reading the book, “Band of Brothers” by Stephen E. Ambrose and watching the HBO Miniseries of the same name.

Winters was a humble and yet strong leadership of the men in Easy Company. His leadership was exemplary and it reminded me of Jesus’ teaching on true leadership. Jesus said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45 NLT).

Here is the article about Dick Winters that was found on www.msnbc.msn.com:

Levittown — PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Even as Parkinson's disease began taking its toll on Dick Winters, who led his "Band of Brothers" through some of World War II's fiercest European battles, the unassuming hero refused, as always, to let his men down. Friends accompanied him to public events, subtly clearing a path through the adoring crowds for the living legend, whose Easy Company's achievements were documented by a book and HBO miniseries. His gait had grown unsteady, and he did not want to be seen stumbling. Winters "didn't want the members of Easy Company to know," William Jackson said Monday of his longtime friend, who died last week at age 92. "Right up to the end, he was the company commander."An intensely private and humble man, Winters had asked that news of his death be withheld until after his funeral, Jackson said. Winters lived in Hershey, Pa., but died in an assisted-living center in neighboring Palmyra.The men Winters led through harrowing circumstances and under fire from the German army never let the toll of time dull their own admiration for their commander."When he said 'Let's go,' he was right in the front," William Guarnere, 88, and dubbed "Wild Bill" by his comrades, said Sunday night from his south Philadelphia home. "He was never in the back. A leader personified."Another member of the unit living in Philadelphia, Edward Heffron, 87, called Winters "one hell of a guy, one of the greatest soldiers I was ever under.""He was a wonderful officer, a wonderful leader," said Heffron, who had the nickname "Babe" in the company. "He had what you needed: Guts and brains. He took care of his men, that's very important."Winters was born Jan. 21, 1918, and studied economics at Franklin & Marshall College before enlisting, according to a biography on Penn State's website. Winters became the leader of Company E, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, on D-Day after the death of the company commander during the invasion of Normandy. During that invasion, Winters led 13 of his men in destroying an enemy battery and obtained a detailed map of German defenses along Utah Beach. In September 1944, he led 20 men in a successful attack on a German force of 200 soldiers. Occupying the Bastogne area of Belgium at the time of the Battle of the Bulge, he and his men held their place until the Third Army broke through enemy lines, and Winters shortly afterward was promoted to major."His leadership example both on and off the battlefield will continue to inspire 'Screaming Eagle' soldiers for years to come," said Lt. Col. Patrick Seiber, a spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division, currently deployed to Afghanistan. "His principles for success on the battlefield are timeless, as they are as critical today in Afghanistan as they were on 'Fortress Europe' during World War II."After returning home, Winters married his wife, Ethel, in May 1948, and trained infantry and Army Ranger units at Fort Dix in New Jersey during the Korean War. He started a company selling livestock feed to farmers, and he and his family eventually settled in a farmhouse in Hershey, where he later retired. Historian Stephen Ambrose interviewed Winters for the 1992 book "Band of Brothers," upon which the HBO miniseries that began airing in September 2001 was based. The miniseries followed Easy Company from its training in Georgia all the way to the war's end in May 1945. Its producers included actor Tom Hanks and Steve Spielberg. Damian Lewis portrayed Winters.

The SOAP Method of Bible Journaling

This morning I was reading my Bible in a local restaurant, when a local wrestling coach came up to me and asked what I was learning. I shared with him that I had just written in my daily journal, that the nephew of Abraham, Lot appeared to be a wimp in his response to God. As God called him to leave the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he was told to flee to the mountains. This was Lot’s response as he requested to go to the small village of Zoar:

“Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.” Genesis 19:18-20 NLT

As I was sharing this insight from my Bible reading and what I had written in my journal, he shared with me that he has been using the SOAP method of Bible Reading. Here was his explanation of this approach to journaling personal insights from the Bible:

Scripture – Select a scripture from your daily reading that speaks to your heart and mind. Write the Bible verse in your journal to personally reflect on this portion of God’s Word.

Observation – Write down your personal observations and comments regarding this Scripture as you understand it.

Application – Contemplate the Scripture and your personal observations and then write in your journal personal application from this Scripture for your life and relationships with others.

Pray – Following this journal exercise, spend time in prayer seeking the LORD’s help in making this application to your life and relationships.

I found this to be a helpful acronym to remember the importance of not simply reading the Word of God, but also seeking to apply it to our lives. My hope is that this will be helpful to you as well.

Progress in the Snow

It was encouraging to drop by the construction site this evening of Southwest Church’s future Worship and Community Center and see the progress that is being made on the site development. Through the snow, you can see the future location of the entrance into the church campus from Farr Drive.

It is an encouraging thought to think of how many people will enter that drive in the future as a first step to seek God in their life!

Plenty of Good Soil

Following my time this morning at the YMCA leading a Job Seeker Support Group, I walked over to the construction site next door and talked with one of the workers. He shared with me that they were discovering more top soil on the property than they had expected, which explains the large piles of soil collected at various locations of the property.

As I reflect on this discovery, I thought of the parables that Jesus taught on the importance of having good hearts to receive God’s word. Jesus taught, “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Matthew 13:23 NLT

My prayer is that the Southwest Church will have receptive hearts that allows God’s word to produce the lasting fruit that he longs to produce through us. I also pray for the opportunity this year and into the future for us as a church to influence many people that we have not even yet met, who will also have receptive hearts to God’s Word.

Removing the Christmas Eve Sign

We are excited to see the excavation company continue their work on developing the site of our future Worship and Community Center. During the first few weeks, they have concentrated on putting in the proper drainage materials in the ground for the future development of the site. In the picture above you can see some of the recent work that has been done near our church sign located on Remick Blvd.

Following Christmas, it took us a while to remove the Christmas Eve Celebration Sign. And yet today, we removed the sign and are looking forward to the future with anticipation as we begin a New Year. While thinking about moving beyond the Christmas season, I came across the following prayer that I hope will be an encouragement to the reader:

Post Christmas Prayer
Long after the angels disappear into the heavens, the shepherds return to their flocks, the magi journey home, the great star sets, Jesus remains.

The Child in whom we rediscover God’s grate love for humanity becomes the adult Redeemer who challenges us to imitate his selflessness and compassion in order that we might transform our world in love.

May we allow the miracle of Christmas to continue long after the holiday trappings have been packed away.

May we welcome the adult Messiah and his challenging Gospel to recreate our lives making the peace, justice, and hope of this holy season a reality in very season of the New Year!

Useful New Resource for Seeking God

This year, I am beginning another journey through the Old Testament. I am also finding encouragement from a new useful resource as I read these amazing stories of God working in the lives of people in the past. Standard Publishing has recently published a fully illustrated Bible Handbook entitled, Discovering God’s Story. This helpful resource written by Jim Eichenberger describes the Bible story in chronological order and it also includes a helpful timeline and a listing of contemporary world events to help the student of the Bible.

This is a great addition to anyone’s personal library. The handbook has a daily reading plan for the reader of the Bible. It also could be a great help to parents as they seek to have weekly devotionals with their children.

We are going to begin providing copies of this helpful Bible handbook at our Sunday Worship Gatherings at Southwest Church. A limited number of copies will be available in the café for $17 a book. We will order more copies if there is a growing interest.

Locations to Consider

This year I have been invited to participate in a pilgrimage to Israel with a group of church planters from Ohio. I am extremely grateful for this possibly once in a life time opportunity to physically see the villages, cities, rivers, and locations that I have read about for year.

To help me prepare for this upcoming opportunity, I have purchased a journal to record my observations from Scripture this year. In my Bible reading this year, I am giving special notice to locations mentioned in scripture, so I can prepare my heart and mind for this upcoming trip to Galilee and Jerusalem.

My Bible reading plan this year, which I found on www.hearlight.org, includes a chronological study of the Old Testament and New Testament. So prior to my trip this summer, I should be able to read through most of the history books of the Old Testament and the Gospels of the New Testament. This will enable me to trace the steps of Jesus and the faithful Jews who preceded him.

I am excited about the thought of seeing with my own eyes places like Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem. It will be awesome!

New Beginnings

There is something very exciting about that which is new … a new baby, a new home, a new job, a new discovery, or … a New Year! As we begin this New Year, I am anticipating an incredible year filled with many new opportunities for the Southwest Church Family. Throughout 2011 we are going to celebrate the New Beginnings that are available in developing and deepening a personal relationship with God.

In my personal pursuit of God, I am revisiting the great stories of faith recorded in the book of Genesis. As I read the creation account on New Year’s Day, I was amazed all over again by the life giving power that is available in the God of the universe. The Bible describes it this way: “Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7 NLT).

Isn’t it amazing that the LORD God took a lump of clay and breathed life into it to become a human being? This is the same God that we worship and I am convinced that He is longing to breathe into our lives, our relationships, our families, and our church … New Beginnings!

One way to truly experience God’s power and presence in your daily life is by renewing your personal commitment to the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, journaling, and prayer. (A great online resource for discovering a Bible reading plan that will be a good fit for you can be found at www.heartlight.org.) The New Year is also a great time to get reconnected with other believers through regularly gathering with others for worship and small group fellowship.

Are you ready for a year filled with … New Beginnings? Let’s begin together!!