Pastor's Perspective - Just As Much Today

I love my congregation just as much today as the day we rolled into town.

Earlier this month, my family and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary in the community and at First Christian! Being a sentimentalist at heart, I stopped to reflect on our arrival in late July 2004.

I’ll never forget the phone call we received that Sunday evening. The church had flown Michelle and I out for an intensive interview weekend. After being bumped around the country by our air carrier, we arrived at the Sacramento Airport weary and a bit slap-happy from a marathon day. There to meet us with his signature grin, holding a sign that read ‘KIEFER’, was Steve Strem! He drove us to our hotel then to the church where a group was waiting eagerly to feed us and ask us a wide spectrum of questions. Throughout the weekend we met in people’s homes and continued to eat and answer questions. That Sunday morning I preached twice in a new outfit Michelle had bought me. Afterward we went back to our hotel and literally crashed! That night the church met to vote on us, while we continued to recover in our room in Fairfield. The phone rang and Steve Strem asked if I would accept their invitation to come and be their pastor. When I answered “Yes”, my heart jumped for joy, as a deafening cheer rose up on the other end of the line. Unknown to me, I was on a speaker phone with the entire congregation listening in! Many of us met for pizza afterwards to celebrate. What a beautiful unforgettable memory.

The 7-day drive out here from central Florida was another unforgettable memory. On the sixth day as we were entering the Mojave Desert, our air conditioning went out in our minivan, while I drove ahead in our big rental truck. Through God’s kindness we were able to get to Bakersfield for the evening. By that time in the trip we were exhausted, hot, frustrated and bit over it all. I remember my call to Mike Kleeman. Though I didn’t really know Mike, I knew he was an Elder and that he probably needed to know where and what his new pastor and his family were and were doing. After explaining our air conditioning challenge, I’ll never forget Mike’s words – “Sit tight. We’ll come get you.” So, the Kleeman family and the Lum family left at 3AM to get to us in Bakersfield by breakfast-time at 8! Talk about a wonderful memory and first impression of the selfless love found at FCC.

Later that evening our arrival in our new community was more of a hobble than a triumphant entry! Here we were, already leaning on our new church family, riding in among a caravan of mismatched vehicles. There to eagerly meet us and welcome us, at the house we had never seen before, ready to unload our packed Penske moving truck was the entire church!

Friends, that deep love and open-armed hospitality was here at FCC long before anybody heard of the Kiefer family. And I can say today, with fullest confidence, still exists for anyone who is looking for a real place to belong.

I love my congregation just as much today as the day we rolled into town.

Pastor's Perspective - A Greater Freedom

"My job was to do one thing, which I was honored to do, as an American and as a father," ... "I wanted those young women to be able to come home.” – Former President Bill Clinton

Earlier this week as I was preparing for the day, I watched the live coverage of the homecoming of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two Americans captured, tried, and sentenced by the North Korean government. For 140-days they became unlikely pawns in an international propaganda war between our country and one bent on rogue behavior. As the door of their shimmering jetliner opened, both women quickly descended the stairs into the open arms of their elated families. Talk about a feel good scene. Don’t we all just love happy endings?

After many tears and hugs, former president Bill Clinton regally walked down the jet stairs. In a 20-hour whirlwind trip, he had met with the North Koreans and brokered the journalists’ release – the hero of their freedom. During her brief emotion-filled statement, Laura Ling spoke of their shock and joy at going from a state of despair and hopelessness into a meeting attended by the former Commander and Chief. According to Ling, the minute she saw and met him, she knew that everything would be okay.

Again, we as Americans love happy endings. In a cinematic-saturated culture, we like it when the bad guy gets his, the Death Star and the great white shark explodes, and the good guy gets the pretty girl, riding away in a convertible while Joe Cocker belts out the chorus. We absolutely dig it! I dig it, and dug it earlier this week. As image-bearers of God, some things actually survived the Fall, namely our sense of justice and resolution.

As I enjoyed the scene being played-out in a Burbank airliner hanger, I was soberly reminded of the greatest rescue ever recorded. Think about it.

At one time, every member of the human family was held justifiably captive, by our own rebellious nature. Each one of us lived in a state of perpetual despair and hopelessness, powerless to liberate ourselves from the iron bars our sins warranted. Unlike Ling and Lee, we were absolutely guilty of treason and mutiny against a holy God. Then, just when we thought all was lost, someone left the peace and splendor of his home faraway and perfectly brokered our release – sinlessness for sin – righteousness for unrighteousness.

Wouldn’t it have been the epitome of foolishness, for Ling and Lee, after seeing and meeting Clinton to say, “No, we’re fine where we’re at. Thanks any way. We’re cool”? Instead, they were overjoyed and overwhelmed that their rescuer would come from so far away, such a powerful individual whom they had never met.

Through the person of Jesus Christ, the hero of our freedom, God the Father has liberated us.

Why?

Because as a father, He wanted us to be able to come home.