Pastor's Perspective - RESCUED!

You never know what a day will bring.

Spirits were soaring here in the church building yesterday morning. Our homeless ministry was in full gear as our guests from the camps were being fed, given the opportunity to wash their clothes, take showers, select nice donated clothes and receive encouragement and prayer. The volunteers were giddy with the joy of serving, including the lead pastor – me.

Suddenly it was announced that one of our dear church partner’s house was on fire! The giddiness came to a screeching halt as a few of us raced to the scene. Upon arrival, the fire had just been doused and several first responders were congregating near the blackened smoldering home. Our hearts sank as it was announced that the family dog ‘Dino’ was still inside and had not yet been located. By looking at the devastation and extensive smoke damage, the odds initially looked pretty slim that the treasured little pooch survived. As believers, we encouraged the shocked family members and offered our best faith-laced optimism, but our minds were clearly on the little helpless dog.

By God’s kindness nobody was in the home at the time, so we had reason to smile and see His divine fingerprints. He knows how to bring immeasurable blessing out of the obvious bad.

As we put our arms around each other to offer solace, two firefighters appeared quickly, one with a shaking Dino in his arms! Our hearts leaped and the sad and somber atmosphere broke. Admittedly, we all brushed away some tears as the grateful homeowner scooped his trembling dog up in his arms.

I thought a lot about that scene the last 24 hours, especially in lieu of Good Friday.

Dino was just a little innocent animal suddenly stuck in a dangerous, hopeless and inescapable situation. Then, someone broke into his darkness, scooped him up and ushered him into the light.

As much as I’d like to equate mankind’s parallel plight with Dino’ yesterdays, there is a profound and undeniable variation I cannot ignore.

Unlike Dino, we in the human family are not innocent. Scripture tells us that our open, willful and mutinous rebellion before a holy God beginning in Eden’s garden declared us His enemies – guilty – worthy of divine wrath and destruction - sad but true.

Then, when everything was burning down around us in our culpable hopelessness, a heavenly light broke into our darkness (John 1:9), and graciously rescued us – ushering us into His light – giving us a living eternal hope and a future.

Today as we remember the agonizing crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, let me encourage and challenge you to see it with a fresh and renewed comprehension. Christ rescued us from what we rightfully deserved, so that someday He could scoop us joyfully into His arms!

Today, traditionally, we remember together that scandalous Friday a long time ago.

You never know what a day will bring.

Pastor's Perspective - The Ultimate Ride

Boy, my dogs are still barkin! (Southern Translation: ‘Boy’- ‘ouch!’, ‘dogs’ - ‘feet’, ‘barkin’ - ‘hurting!’)

Our wonderful twins, Sam and Abi, recently entered the amazing realm of ‘teendom’! My sweet wife Michelle and I decided to surprise them with a long weekend trip down to Six Flags Magic Mountain as a family, a place we had seen several times from the road but never visited. What a blast! For three days straight we used our passes and walked all over that packed and bustling piece of real estate – waiting, riding, screaming, walking, waiting, riding, screaming, walking. We loved making memories together; but, the toll on the feet at the end of the day was treacherous! You all know that discomfort, don’t you? It’s the satisfied anticipated exhaustion you experience as you literally hobble back to your vehicle. But, that’s the price of fun – the price you pay if you’re going to ride.

Speaking of rides, in my opinion, the centerpiece of the entire park is one called ‘Superman: Escape from Krypton’ – a ride I believe the devil himself created with a design team of masochists! On this particular ride, the passenger is strapped like a fighter pilot into a car, then is suddenly propelled backwards accelerating to 100 mph in seven seconds, before shooting up a vertical 41-story tower and back down! For the first two days we all just watched it from below shaking our heads. All six of us said things like, “I’d never get on that,” “You have to be crazy to go on that,” and “Never in a million years.” To make a long story short, we rode it multiple times our last day and loved it! That ultimate ride that we feared the most became our favorite of the entire trip.

Here is the evolution of us conquering our fears on Superman. I watched a young man exit the ride who was very much alive, smiling and inviting his friends to join him. I found that very reassuring! So, I dug down deep, rode it alone, loved it, exited the ride very much alive (Thank you Lord!), smiled and invited my children to join me. They accepted my invitation and we made an exhilarating victory memory together our last day.  

Life is quite a ride, isn’t it? It is a ride that is a compilation of rides. Some of those bundled rides are called childhood, marriage, parenthood, aging, education, vocation, and so on.

Sometimes these rides at times may seem slow, meandering, predictable, even boring; then without warning they begin to spin you, launch you, driving you backwards, sending you plummeting, dizzied and disoriented, testing you, pushing you to the limit, making you face your worst fears, while somehow simultaneously giving you awe-inspiring glimpses you’d never see standing safely on the ground from a stationary position. And just when you think the ride is over, before you catch your breath, it leaps to life propelling you in a new heart-racing direction! Yep, life is quite a ride.

This past weekend I was reminded that all of our life-rides, though immensely diverse, eventually merge into the Ultimate Ride – a ride even greater than Superman – an unavoidable ride – a ride we must all enter regardless of who we are, where we live, what we own, who we know, or what we’ve done – the Ultimate Ride called ‘Eternity’.

Many people in Solano County choose to live their lives like the Ultimate Ride doesn’t exist. Some live thinking that their rides will be long ones, only to find themselves on the Ultimate Ride before they anticipated – before they were truly ready.

Imagine something for a moment. Imagine the buzz, speculation, media coverage and fear that would surround an amusement park ride somewhere where people entered but never walked out! Yet, this has been the reality and mystery of the Ultimate Ride for centuries from generation to generation. Everyone wants to know, ‘What happens after you die? Everyone goes in, but nobody comes out.’

It’s Easter-time 2013.

For Christians around the globe it is a day representing so much more than pastel eggs and chocolate bunnies. It is the day in human history and documented in Scripture when a young man named Jesus after entering the Ultimate Ride emerged alive and well, smiling and reassuring the world that the ride of life doesn’t end with our last heartbeat, but continues – that He is the Ultimate Ride!

Christ’s predicted emergence from the tomb validated that all He did and all He said was divinely approved. For instance, that there was a real Hell to shun and a real Heaven to gain – that His substitutionary death on the Cross was enough to forgive the worst of sinners - that the endless Ultimate Ride of Eternity would be either exhilarating and blissful or horrifying and regrettable based on whether or not people placed their faith in Him as their personal Lord and Savior – that we didn’t need to fear the Ultimate Ride – He went in and came out victorious!

Are you ready for the Ultimate Ride?

The good news is – through the risen Christ you can be!

Pastor's Perspective - The Lectern of a Bird Feeder

Jesus was the master teacher.

Those who heard Him were astounded by the things He conveyed. Matthew records that people were amazed by His teaching (7:28). He had the uncanny ability to draw attention to something ordinary and most often overlooked, and make it the object lesson of a spectacular truth.  He knew His audience and He knew their experiences and spectrums of reference. So, He referenced things everybody understood.

Many years ago I learned a good lesson on evaluating one’s audience when I continuously used football metaphors in a senior ladies bible study! I can still see the blank stares.

Jesus is still the master teacher!

Recently He has been teaching me and reminding me of spectacular truths, not through the great works of renowned theologians; but instead, the lectern of a bird feeder!

For the last few weeks I have enjoyed spending time on our back patio. Recent landscaping upgrades mixed with our beautifully mild California weather have made relaxing in my backyard a welcomed part of my day. A safe distance from our bistro tables, hanging in a tree is a bird feeder that my precious wife Michelle strives to keep filled with seed. Over the last several weeks, our yard has become an airport of sorts as a continuous stream of winged guests fill the trees above the feeder, hop beneath the feeder, and call from neighboring trees waiting their turn to land and dine.

I have been marveling at the sense of organization the birds utilize. Each grouping has a turn, while the others patiently wait and warn them of gawking adults and crouching cats.

I have been noticing the vast array of differentiation they possess – in anatomy, movement, communication and appearance – the genius of a master Creator and artist.

I have enjoyed watching the Lord provide for their unique needs, reminding me to rewind to the Teacher’s command to not worry – ‘Look at the birds of the air..’ (Matthew 6:26).

I have observed something that inspires me. When the birds gather on the ground beneath the feeder, a bird flies to the feeder ledge above them and with his beak shovels seed over the edge to the hungry birds below. Sure the bird eats some seed, but his task is to ensure that others are fed. The Lord has been reminding me of the simplicity of my calling through this reoccurring behavior.

Perhaps the greatest and most timely message the Teacher is sharing with me through the birds is to slow down, rest, sit and simple open my eyes and heart – to be teachable. The Apostle Paul tells us that God has revealed Himself through the natural world He has created (Romans 1), and Hebrews 13:8 states that Jesus is the same teacher today that He was in the gospel narratives. He’s still teaching lessons through very simple and ordinary things. The question is, are we stopping long enough to watch and listen?

Pastor's Perspective - Dead in the Water

I’ll say it loud and proud – ‘Kiefers love cruising!’

I have personally been on three cruises in my half a century existence and I’ve adored every one of them. My wife Michelle and I have sailed throughout the western Caribbean and up to Alaska. The last one we took was as a family down to the Mexican Riviera, made famous by Doc, Gopher and Captain Stubing. Dollar-for-dollar, there is no better way, in my opinion, to have tons of vacation options while enjoying a sense of adventure than on a cruise ship. The entertainment and service are first class, and the sense of disconnection is priceless. Did I mention the food?!

The last cruise was on the Carnival Splendor, a massive 950-ft liner that takes fun and luxury to a whole new level. After booking our tickets, my nerdy ‘current events junkie’ mind sent me a memo – “Steve, that ship is the one that had an engine fire a couple of years back and had to be towed back to port.” Wikipedia confirmed the memo! But, I thought, ‘These things rarely happen, and I’m sure the problem has not only been fixed on Splendor, but on all of the Carnival fleet’. Gratefully, our excursion down the coastline was trouble-free. However, history has a way of repeating itself, doesn’t it?

As I peck this, tugboats in the Gulf of Mexico are towing into Mobile Bay the disabled Carnival Triumph. What was supposed to be a 4-day ‘fun cruise’ has turned into a week-long nightmare for the 4,000 on board! An engine fire disabled the great ship’s major systems – including propulsion. Reports indicate that people are sleeping on decks to keep cool, raw sewage is everywhere, food is scarce, nerves are frayed, and conditions are declining rapidly. What began with fantasies of mai tais and buffets has turned into lukewarm tomato sandwiches and inoperable toilets! Naturally, the cruise line is doing all it can to buffer the blow by reimbursing the passengers and getting them home as safely and comfortably as possible.

Then it hit me.

Something designed for adventure – absolutely dead in the water – drifting.

Did you know that the Splendor and the Triumph represent our lives?

The New Testament tells that sin has separated us from God and that the consequence of that sin is death. Though our lives were divinely designed for relational adventure with the Lord, we used our gift of freewill to mutiny against Him. The result? Our lives are as dead in the water as the ships I’ve referenced.

Powerless.

Hopeless.

Drifting.   

Dead.

Then, on the murky horizon, when all seemed lost, a light appeared – a heavenly light of love, grace and mercy! Paul described it beautifully – ‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.’ – Ephesians 2:4-5.

The Bible tells us emphatically that without God’s grace exclusively through His Son Jesus Christ applied to our lives - we are all dead! - Not sick - not injured - not broken - not weak – morgue-gurney dead! That every life (no matter how ‘good’)  that does not receive the divine resuscitation of God through the completed redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross is dead, drifting and on their own.

Remember, the gospel is not ‘good news’ – its great news! We once we’re declared ‘dead’ by the Great Physician; but now through Him, we are eternally alive in Him.

Now that’s Splendor!

Now that’s Triumph!

Pastor's Perspective - Two Brothers

‘Super Sunday’ is almost here!

For those many of us still shining in the afterglow of the Giants’ amazing World Series triumph, a 49ers Super Bowl appearance is the proverbial cherry on the cake. Our ‘City by the Bay’ is showing the world that we are indeed worthy of a new name - ‘Championship City’!

Besides the gazillion dollar commercials and the half-time show hype, there are many interesting story lines interwoven in today’s big game. One is the rise of second year quarterback Colin Kapaernick, who was just supposed to fill-in for the injured starter then pick his clipboard back up; but instead ignited his team, taking them as deep into the post-season as you can go. Another is the swan song of the inspirational leader of the Ravens, linebacker Ray Lewis. Whether you like him or not, his presence on the field for many years could never be ignored. But, perhaps the greatest sub-story is the match-up between two brothers – Coaches Jim and John Harbaugh – a first-time novelty in the long history of the NFL.

Over the years many players have played against or alongside their siblings. Growing up in Tampa, I remember the Bucs featured brothers Leroy and Dewey Selmon together on the defensive side of the ball. Other high-profile combinations include Peyton and Eli Manning, Ronde and Tiki Barber and many others. Likewise, many coaching brothers have faced each other in the league over the years, but never have two head coaching brothers faced-off in the spectacle-of-all spectacles – the Super Bowl.

As a local pastor, I cannot help but think about famous brother rivalries in the Bible. There are several to be found. My favorite was between Isaac’s sons - Jacob and Esau. These two completely different boys struggled against each other from birth – literally!

Esau was the firstborn. His name meant ‘red’ or ‘hairy’. He was a bona fide ‘daddy’s boy’ and an avid outdoorsman and hunter. In other words, as a hairy hunter he was Duck Dynasty before there was a Duck Dynasty! He was brutish and he lived impulsively for the present and temporary.

On the flipside of the pancake was his younger twin Jacob. His name meant ‘he deceives’ – a huge red flag! He chose manicures over hunting trips. He was a ‘momma’s boy who enjoyed the inside of the tent. There he religiously watched the Food Channel and raced to the mailbox daily to see if his subscription to ‘GQ’ had arrived (attempt at humor mine). Unlike his hirsute brother, he was a patient plotter and a schemer with an eye always fixed on the future – his future. In other words, Esau and Jacob were polar opposites – rivals in the big game of life.

One day Esau returned to the family tent after a hunting trip with a huge appetite - absolutely starving! Living up to his name, Jacob saw an opportunity to pry from his big brother’s hand something of great value – his birthright. Back in Bible days, the eldest son was given the cherished birthright. This entitlement offered a trifecta of enviable privileges. First, the birthright insured that the eldest would get twice as much of the inheritance. Next, the birthright gave the eldest total authority over the surviving family. Lastly, the birthright somehow secured God’s blessing over his life for a lifetime. Esau had it and Jacob wanted it!

Knowing his older brother lived impulsively only seeking to satisfy his temporary appetites, Jacob offered him a bowl of his homemade blue ribbon stew in exchange for Esau’s coveted birthright. Scandalously, Esau agreed! In my mind’s eye I imagine as Esau ate, Jacob quietly smirked. In less than five minutes Esau’s belly was full and his dirty bowl empty. And in a reckless moment on his brother’s part, Jacob became wealthy and powerful beyond his dreams.

Friends, how often have we impulsively and recklessly let go of God’s very best for our lives by living impulsively? How often have we regretted what we could have had if we would have said ‘no’ instead? How often have we released the meaningful for the meaningless? How many times have we laid something genuinely good and pure on the altar of the temporary? How often have we mindlessly gorged on worldly solutions as the devil smirks approvingly?

Face it! We all have appetites. We are born with them! And our appetites only know one word – “More”.

As a pastor, I find the biggest regrets people have that I pray for and counsel, are God-given appetites that were satisfied in ways that God never gave or endorsed – impulsively, improperly, prematurely.

So, what is your bowl of stew? What is that thing you want so badly that it consumes your short-term thinking?

The enemy of your soul knows our individual appetites. He, like Jacob, is the one who patiently plots and schemes, looking for an opportunity to defeat and destroy real lives by offering temporary no-waiting solutions that only lead to deep regret.

Esau lived only for the present and the temporary and it caused him huge problems throughout the rest of his life.

Don’t give up what will satisfy you eternally for that which only satisfies temporarily.

Friends, it is those who maintain an eternal perspective who walk away with the blessing.

Enjoy the game!