Apostle or Mutineer?

    What would you change about church?  What would make it better?  Richer?  More Welcoming?  More inviting?  More... whatever?  Who have you told?  (If you haven't told anyone, when are you planning to tell someone?)
     "Mutineers" is how someone recently told me about ideas and a passion to press forward in following Jesus.  "The mutineers are ready to meet and work."   I think they meant... no holds barred,  bold, risky, whatever-it-takes, outside-the-box faithfulness.  We're ready to be bold for Christ.
     I think the "mutineers" are tired of baby sitting a past that has lost it's Jesus passion.  I think they have seen a vision of how God wants us to live as Jesus' Body (that's what the bible calls the Church-- check out Ephesians 4 or 1 Corinthians 12).
    I think they have decided not to be held hostage by fears, the past, bullies, "what-ifs", and more.  They have decided to follow Jesus, no matter what!
    What a blessing to hear that from another disciple.  What a gift that this follower of the Way is willing to act on their passionate faith vision with love.   The scripture says "perfect love casts out fear" and mutineers (the bible calls them Apostles--people with bold vision and action for the future... spiritual entrepreneurs, if you like) are ready to live beyond fear with Jesus' life-giving love.
     Are you ready to be a "Mutineer"?  (er... apostle?)   Tell somebody.  Act with an infectious love.  Live boldly as a follower of Jesus, loving neighbor, stranger and enemy.  Let someone know about the mutiny that will change the world!
10,000 Joys  Dave

Round Three -- Knock Out Punch

There are lots of times in life when it looks like evil wins, when bad people triumph, when dishonesty, lying and cheating have the upper hand.  That's frustrating!  These last hours of Jesus' life also look like evil wins.  That's why a bigger perspective on life is important.
     Imagine a boxing match.  Round one was Jesus' ministry.  Evil was being driven back, good was winning, people were being healed, and lives were being changed for the better.  Life was winning over death... light over darkness.  Round two is at the cross and now it looks like evil is back with a vengeance and is winning big-time.  It appears that death is going to have the final say.
     There is still round three to come.  That's the story of Easter, of the bible, of Revelation, of Life... when it looks dark, like a cancer diagnosis, a marital breakup, a job loss or no job to be found, then there's still round three.  In round three there's a knock-out punch to death.  In round three life wins over death.  In round three there is HOPE!
    That's the journey of faith, knowing that in following Jesus there is always a round three.  It doesn't make the second round go away or get all warm and fuzzy.  It does give us hope to work our way through the dark times, the struggles, the moments when we feel hopeless.  It gives us a confidence to share that hope with a friend on the journey. 
     I don't know what round you are in.  I can speak with confidence that round three will come.  There is Hope!  Where are you.  Comment and ask for someone to remind you of hope, listen to your pain, or walk with you/pray with you through round two.  I'll look forward to hearing from you.  

Phones, Calendars and Staying Focused

    Within two week's time my laptop, netbook and smartphone all died!  And in one of the busiest times of my year.  Yikes!
     Through the momentary panic, the priority searching and the frustrating reconfiguration, I was reading and telling and the story about Jesus' suffering as a part of the bigger picture.  The bigger picture being God's willingness to take on the human condition, live, struggle and die so that I might actually understand how much God loves me.  Now there's an interesting juxtaposition!
     I had to stop and think about what's important.  I had to refocus priorities.  I had to reallocate resources.  All of this to get life back together.  Then I noticed... Jesus chose what was important, focused on priorities and reallocated all his strength, just to say, "I love you."
   My phone list and my web favorites aren't the most important thing to me.  The most important thing is the relationships and friendship web they represent to me.  My tech-tastrophy became a learning journey about God's love.   The invitation of the moment was as much, if not more, to value the relationships and people God values, as it was, to recover the data that goes with those relationships.
    How about you?  Is love in your smartphone?  Is care a part of your data base?  Are love and caring held captive or set free by the tools you use? 
    My prayer for myself and you is that love stays more important than all the other stuff of life.  And while I'm working on that, I'm going to keep on following the Master of Love, and learn.  And you?  What will you do?

Insights Courage, Cowardice & Grace

I'm learning about grace right now as I follow the last day of Jesus' life and Peter's journey.  What I'm seeing is that Peter wanted to be honest, faithful, on mission and courageous.  He tried, showing up at Jesus' trial and mingling with the soldiers at the courtyard fire.  He fell short.

I'm thinking I might do the same.  I can see Peter's courage, and I can feel for his cowardice.  I too want to do many honest, faithful, on mission and courageous things.  I too fail.  I want to show my wife love with time and attention and yet I let my schedule get too busy.  I want to challenge those on the Way with me and yet I get to worrying about reactions, words, my own cost.  I want to love my kids and grandson in all the right ways, and yet I sometimes get caught up in my own agenda.  I want to follow Jesus too, and yet I hesitate, stumble, balk and whine, just when I thought I was past all that.

I'm learning to trust the power of a Love that is bigger than me and anything else, but I need help, grace, in that journey.  I'm learning to love others less selfishly, and I need help, grace, in that too.  I'm learning... well, lots is in process.  I wonder what you're learning these days?  Where do you find help?

Kings before the King

It's Christmas time.  Shopping, carols, stress :-) and the line "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" from Handel's Messiah was going through my head. (I'm told I always have a three ring circus going on in my head.)  Along with that came a morning devotional reading from the prophet Jeremiah.  I started connecting the King who comes in a manger, God's promise, God's word, God's truth, and a couple of stubborn kings about 600 years earlier.

It hit me:  Two kings, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, refused to listen to the truth, to what God was telling them, through the truth teller, prophet, Jeremiah, and there were consequences.  Not so much a divine thunderbolt, although some might read Jeremiah chapters 36-38 with that in there.  No, it was more of a natural consequence, it was failure to take action.  That in motion, and bold truth on the table, the consequence of not listening to a Good Word, came true...a tough consequence.

What I learned... Listen to God, even when the path is difficult and all shall be well.  Ignore or turn my back on God's Word and trouble is the inevitable consequence.  Listen and be well -- God's Word leads to God's encouragement.  Be encouraged.

Change & Koinonia Group

    Change is a pain!  It makes me think.  It makes me work.  Yet, it makes me whole, alive, vital and a more fully functioning Disciple of Jesus.
    Connections to Koinonia Groups, small groups of disciples walking together, helps me make the journey.  Following Jesus is simple and radical.  A group of companions helps.
    Check out some of our Koinonia Group Discussions and Studies.  You can have friends online for the Jesus journey.  Email me, Pastor Dave, to join a Disciple-Making Group, or an Under 30 Change the World Group.

     Change is a given.  God is good.  I'm on the road with Jesus.

Country Music & Friends

   Imagine fun, kids, food, country western music, and almost 200 people.  Then you can see the community picnic held at Palmyra First UMC yesterday.  I wanted to see us invite the neighbors and welcome people in the spirit and way of Jesus.  I think we may have done that, but I'd love to hear what you thought.
    What I know is we did some things to work at being more welcoming: we dropped "Church" from the picnic name;  we dropped off invitations to 160 of our neighbors;  we chose a picnic theme that we thought everyone could enjoy--western;  we aimed for quality with the horse rides, games, food and live square dance caller; we gave some rides, we took time for genuine conversations, we worked at the whole thing with a spirit of love and fun.

    What I  know is that we haven't had this many people at a picnic in years, and we had a blast.
    I know that following Jesus is an amazing journey.  This week that looked like a picnic.