Reality Check

by Andrew Cromwell

Every once in a while it is a good idea to make sure that you are living in reality. My impression is that there are many people who don’t do this often enough and they walk around with a false set of beliefs. Sometimes these beliefs are harmless, even if wrong (like believing there’s a frog on a log on a hole in the middle of the sea). Other times, wrong beliefs can cost you great grief and suffering (like believing that the stock market will always go up in the long run).

There are a few beliefs that it is incredibly important for us to get right. If we get these wrong, we risk losing everything. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, be afraid only of God.” We spend a lot of time worrying and being afraid of so many things, but if we can get a few things straight, then everything else will fall into place.

There is a popular belief these days that sincere belief equals true belief. We hear this expressed all the time when people say things like, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” What this means is that people want the freedom to pick and choose the elements of spirituality that they like but they do not want to be bothered with the parts they don’t like.

People want to be able to talk to God, but don’t want to be told that they have to change their life. They want to do spiritual stuff—light a candle, spread a prayer rug, quote a verse—but they don’t want to have to do difficult stuff—adjust their behavior, change the way they talk to others, pray when they don’t feel like it.

People want to believe sincerely that God is okay with them and their life.

But what if He isn’t? What if God isn’t okay with the pick and choose, consumer oriented spirituality? What if sincere belief is just not enough? What if He requires more from us?

Well, if He does, then we had better change our perspective!

I am inclined to believe that when one reads the Bible, there is a picture that emerges of a God who is loving and powerful and who wants to have a relationship with all human beings. But in order for that relationship to happen, we humans have to hand him the direction of our life. We have to be willing to put him in the driver’s seat.

The trouble is, we like the driver’s seat. I know that I do! But I have found that when I let Him drive, the trip is always better. 

Prayer

by Tim Howard 

Lily Tomlin once said: "Why is it that when we talk to God we are said to be praying. And when God talks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?" People who struggle with schizophrenia may experience auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions among other things. Unfortunately, people who admit they hear from God are often put into a similar category. If you admit to others you hear from God, be prepared for strange looks.

The answer of course is that people do all kinds of stupid things and blame it on God. God told me this… Two days later God changed his mind and told me something different… Many who have claimed to hear God are locked away because they are self-delusional. Everyone who claims to hear God accurately doesn’t! 

Communication is difficult on a human level so it stands to reason communicating with God will require a learning curve. Just because we don’t always hear God’s voice accurately, that shouldn’t stop us from communicating with Him anymore than it would if we were communicating with anyone else.

Husbands and wives have trouble communicating! I don’t always get it when my wife speaks. I’m sure she wonders if I will ever ‘get it.’ I sometimes misunderstand, misinterpret or just simply miss her point. That doesn’t mean we stop speaking and sharing on various levels. We continue to learn each other’s love language so we can communicate on an intimate level. 

In the Bible, 1 Samuel chapter 3 records a narrative of a young man named Samuel who didn’t know how to distinguish God’s voice. The account is not only interesting but it helps us gain some insight in regards to hearing God. Here are a few things we can glean: 

1. God is speaking but we don’t always recognize his voice. Samuel finally figured it out with the help of an old Priest named Eli. It’s always wise to check with other people who have walked with God for some time when you think God is speaking. They can help you discern his voice.

2. You will hear more clearly if you stop speaking and listen more intently. The Priest told Samuel: “If the Lord speaks again say, speak my Lord for your servant is listening.” Too often we view prayer as only talking to God. A monologue rather than a dialogue. Too often we say: “Listen my Lord for your servant speaks. You can’t hear God if you don’t stop yapping…

3. Samuel was at rest when God spoke. We live in a noisy world where it’s sometimes hard to hear God above the commotion. Do you know what most of us do with silence? Fill it! We fill it with noise. God can speak through the noise, or even over it, but usually, He waits for us to be quiet. Take a time out and press the pause button in your life. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10.

4. Samuel was in the Temple when God spoke. I personally believe God can speak to you while you are mowing your lawn, fixing the car, shopping for a new dress or taking a shower but meeting with others in a Church setting is important. It is so significant that the author of Hebrews in the New Testament said: Don’t neglect getting together with those who believe in Christ.

Listen

by Tim Howard

While growing up did you ever hear your parents or guardians say: “Do you think I’m talking to hear myself talk?” I sure did, on many occasions! The statement was voiced in the form of a question but when I tried to answer, I was told to be quiet…in not so many words. Now that I have more understanding, I realize they were making a statement and not asking for my opinion. They wanted me to “Listen”

God listens to us when we speak. Isn’t that amazing? He has called us into relationship: we speak and He listens; He speaks and we listen. This may seem obvious to some but this is the difference between Christianity and religion.

Christianity is a relationship! God calls us into a love relationship where we converse with him. It’s more than a monologue - It’s a dialogue! Religion on the other hand is about following the rules rather than cultivating a relationship. Go to church for an hour or so a week, read a few chapters in the Bible, do a daily devotional and make sure you do a couple of good deeds.  As good as these things are, God wants to have more. He desires a conversational relationship with you!  You speak and He listens.  He speaks and you listen.

God hears everything! You may say something in private like a politician but discover later that someone taped your words and everyone heard what you said. Even when you think no one heard, God hears.

God even hears what you say when you don’t say anything. After all, you don’t need words to speak. Sometimes your body language, your facial expressions and your actions speak volumes without the utterance of one word.

God hears everything you say even when you can’t hear him. If you ever pray to God in his Son’s name, and feel like no one is listening you need to know, he does hear. That’s one reason King David loved God. He said:  “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. “Psalm 116:1-2. I couldn’t agree more.

Since God created us in him image and since he listens to us, doesn’t it make sense that we should listen to him?

The word “listen” and its derivatives are used 338 times in the NIV Bible.  The word “hear” and its derivatives are used 982 times.  There is a lot of talking and listening going on in the Bible!  Interestingly the most common use of the word “listen” in the Bible is God telling us to listen. 

God speaks to us in a variety of ways, so whom should we listen to?

If you are a married man, I would suggest you listen to your wife. God speaks to us through people and he can use your mate to shape, adjust or encourage you. God speaks through experiences and circumstances. When something out of the ordinary happens to you don’t dismiss it as an aberration. God might be trying to get your attention because he wants to change something or strengthen something. Your conscience is another authority in your life. If it has been trained properly and you listen to it, your steps will be guarded from many stumbles.

Francis Scheaffer wrote a book called “He is there and He is not silent.”  He isn’t talking just to hear himself talk. I encourage you to “listen”

Keep the Faith

by Tim Howard

I began developing a passion for God when I turned 6 years old. Even at that young age, I was convinced God existed and He was good. One of the verses I learned as a young boy is found in the Bible - Hebrews 11:6. It says: “… it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek.” NLT

Even at a young age, the sun, the moon, the rivers, mountains, clouds and all of creation seemed to shout: There is a God! I recall saying to myself: “No person could create all this - there must be a God.” Solomon said: “Wisdom shouts in the streets… will we not listen?”  Well, I listened and faith in Christ has directed my steps for the past 55 years.

Faith. It’s hard to define but we all have it. Every time you step into an airplane you exercise faith. You put your confidence in a person believing they will navigate the flight and get you to your destination safely. You know nothing about the pilot; his or her qualifications, abilities or present state of mind, yet you put your trust and confidence in them. Every time you invest money through an investor you are putting faith in those who oversee the enterprises. 

Hebrews 11:1-2 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.” NLT

Faith sees something beyond the material realm. When I do something kind for someone I’m hoping they will see beyond my good deed. I want them to see the kindness of God and His benevolent attitude toward them. That’s what my actions are supposed to reveal. Unfortunately, many never see God in the good that is happening. Without faith, a person who looks at a snow-covered mountain range, a beautiful sunset or the mighty waves of an ocean, will not be able to see a powerful creator behind the visual display.

Faith in God releases God to change things! There are many illustrations in the Bible, where faith opened the door for divine healing. People who were sick got healed. People who were bound got delivered. Many blind eyes were made to see, deaf ears began to hear and things designed to destroy people were turned around to develop and strengthen them. All because faith released God to move!

At other times, however, faith in God didn’t change the circumstances. Rather than removing the challenges confronting people, faith releases strength for them to go through the challenges. They endure hardship and rejoice because they have faith in God. Sometimes faith changes things around you but at other times faith changes things within you.

When you put your faith in Jesus, He is released to change something! For the past 55 years my faith has been altering me. I have a long way to go and I’m not what I ought to be in many ways but I’m sure a lot better than I use to be. At least that’s what my wife says! Faith! The real question isn’t do you have it, because we all do, but what, where or who are you placing your faith in? That’s the million-dollar question.

Soul Food

by Andrew Cromwell

If you believe in God, then you must believe in the existence of a part of us that cannot be seen. No amount of weighing or measuring or searching with microscopes will reveal this part. You can cut us open and look inside, you can draw blood and run tests and you can even make us stand in front of that x-ray machine thingy at the airport, but you will not be able to see our soul.

Our soul is that invisible part of us — being invisible makes it no less real — that governs and directs and makes us truly who we are. Some have called it “the ghost in the machine”, although no matter how we try, we have not been able to build a machine and summon the ghost. And while our physical body connects us with the world around us and serves as the intermediary through which we taste, touch, smell and sense it — it is the soul that gives these experiences their texture and weight. No amount of neurons firing in the brain can ever hope to explain this thing we call consciousness — it is soul-territory.

Without the soul, the body dies (let us save the ever popular zombie discussion for another day). The experiences of virtues like love, courage, joy, hope and vices like lust, cowardice, anxiety and hopelessness cannot happen without the soul. It is only through the soul that we can communicate with God, and it is our soul that endures long after the physical body dies.

Now even though we all have a soul, we also have a body. This physical part of us is very useful. It is through this body that we move around, communicate with others and generally get things done in the physical world. Without this body, we would be ghosts — and ghosts cannot be particularly effective in our world.

But as useful as this body is, it also comes with its own set of challenges. Let us say it this way, the body makes a wonderful slave but a terrible master. The body must be fed and cared for and if treated well can be wonderful. But if the body’s appetites are over-fed, it can become like a ravenous dog restlessly searching for its next meal and not caring particularly from where it comes.

The natural order of things is for our soul to direct our body. If we want to become more loving, we direct our body to do things that are kind and put others first. If we want to become more courageous, then we order our body to stand and do what is right in situations when we feel afraid or timid.

When our body’s appetites for food, sex, entertainment, and busyness — among many others — become the driving force in our lives, we flip things upside down and our soul is diminished. Solomon, the wisest man in the world, said when this happens: “We work to feed our appetites; meanwhile our souls go hungry” (Eccl. 6:7).

So the question is, whom are you feeding more frequently, your soul or your body? People who consistently feed themselves healthy soul food — a regular diet of God’s Word and giving oneself to others — discover true joy. But those who only feed the lower desires of our body increasingly lose the capacity for true greatness.

The pastors of Kings County are serving up soul food this weekend. Perhaps you need a change of diet?

Excuses

by Tim Howard

When I was a little kid my mom used to give me commands. She would say things like: “Go clean up your room - go brush your teeth, go take a bath.” I’m reminded of my reluctance and reticence to respond to her directives every time I give a similar command to my grandson.

Just last night I said to him: “Go get ready for bed.” “I don’t want to go to bed,” was his reply. Again this morning: “Go get your shoes on or we’ll be late for school.” He responded: “Do I have to? I don’t like school! 

Why don’t we want to obey? 

Maybe it’s because we are self-centered and don’t like having anyone tell us what to do. We believe in being autocratic. Possibly the command doesn’t fit with our preferences or we simply may have a built-in rebellious streak. You can see examples throughout the Bible.

In the book of Exodus we are told of a time when God talked to Moses. It was in a desert area far from the view of anyone else and Moses was reluctant to obey.

The conversation went something like this: God Speaks: Moses, I’ve set myself to help a whole lot of people who are in need. They are experiencing sufferings; addictions, hardships, injustice and I want to free them because they are asking for my help…  Even though it doesn’t record it, I’m sure Moses was elated because this is something he had desired for over 40 years.

In Chapter 3 verse 10, however, God said something else that caused this jubilation - this euphoria and this ecstasy to evaporate. He said:  “…Go!   I’m sending you…” by the response given by Moses we see his reluctance to obey. It reminded me of this statement: “Anything can be done as long as someone else does it.” We want God or others to do the stuff but we too often don’t want to get involved ourselves.

Moses gives 4 reasons as to why he didn’t want to obey.

Ex. 3:11 I’m a no-body - He had an identity issue to solve.

Ex. 3:13 I won’t know what to say or do - A confidence issue.

Ex. 4:1 I’m not sure people will listen - A fear issue.

Ex. 4:10 I don’t have any skills or abilities - A competence issue.

Excuses, excuses and more excuses!

What Moses didn’t understand was this: When God asks people to obey, it is for their own personal benefit not to mention the welfare of others. If a parent shouts a command to STOP when a child is getting to close to a cliff, it is for the child’s safety not for the parents need to establish authority.

Identity issues are real. Someone said: “God doesn’t make Nobody’s, He makes Somebody’s!” We discover our value only when we are connected to Him and our identity issue is solved when we know God is with us. That’s why God answered his identity question by saying: “ I will be with you” The important thing isn’t who you are but who God is in you. Check out Romans 8:31! 

Confidence issues, fear issues and competence can be dealt with when you trust in God and entrust yourself to him. The issues facing Moses are the same issues facing us. Don’t let them keep you from obeying God’s commandments. They are for your benefit and the welfare of others. Quit making excuses and follow God’s lead. You won’t be sorry and people will be blessed.

Stuck In The Middle

by Andrew Cromwell

You are at this very moment, standing right in the middle of your own ‘acres of diamonds.’ —Earl Nightengale

All of us know what it is like to be stuck in the middle. We have baked this idea into our language, with sayings such as “stuck between a rock and a hard place” and “out of the frying pan and into the fire”. We love new beginnings and spend time celebrating or lamenting the endings in life (endings of relationships, jobs, projects), but most of our time is spent doing life in the middle, somewhere between the beginning and the end.  

Most of us don’t particularly care for the middle. If you happen to be a middle child, you understand the challenge of being in-between older and younger siblings. You’re neither the golden first born nor the can’t-do-wrong baby of the family, and it seems that you always have to fight to get noticed.

Whether or not you are a middle child, the reality is all of us must become comfortable with living in the middle. Few of us will ever be the “big boss” of the corporation and have the final say. So we have to learn how to thrive somewhere between the top and the bottom at work and in life.

Most people don’t like where they are in life. They are always looking for the “next thing.” And while ambition can be healthy, it can keep us from excelling and succeeding right where we are. So very often, instead of thriving in our “middle” position, we instead waste time and energy dreaming about being somewhere else.

Whether you are in a “middle” at work, in your family or in your social setting, isn’t it time to start thriving right where you are? Saint Irenaeus said “man fully alive is the glory of God.” You and I will only be fully alive when we make the decision to fully embrace our current place. Yes, God might have different things for us to do in the future, but for right now, He has put us exactly where we are.

Here are three decisions you can make that will help you thrive in the middle:

First, choose to enjoy it and play the role well! Middle children learn how to solve family disputes and bring people together. They are usually the peacemakers in the family, acting as interpreters between warring parties. You can do the same thing right where you are. Help the “higher ups” understand the “little people” and vice-versa.

Second, choose to be the best right where you are. Find fulfillment in helping the team win. See your position as an opportunity to gain experience that will be valuable in the future. As you excel in your place, you will also rise to the top.

Third, choose to be an influencer for the good in every direction. If you’re in the middle of your work organization, you can still lead others by influencing them to make the right decisions. Far too many people take themselves out of the game because they say, “it’s not my job”. Instead, step up to the plate and make a difference!