Thinking About Prayer and Preaching

It happened again a week ago. Having done my best at preparing my sermon I was not satisfied. It just wasn't clicking for me. I'd be hard pressed to even say what wasn't working, but it just didn't feel right. There have been times when I would start all over on Saturday to try and "fix it." I don't bother anymore. Partly because it never seemed to help; but mostly because I have discovered that when I am least content with a sermon God seems to use it the most. At least that's how I interpret it. The fact is, when I am least happy with a sermon, I get the most positive feedback from the congregation. Perhaps it's just that what doesn't work for me does work for them. I think more likely God is stepping into my weakness and showing His strength in taking my puny thoughts and words and making something worthwhile out of them. I have learned to stop fretting and give Him the glory when that happens.

But I also see a problem in this. My desire is to always be used by God and have Him speak through me. That doesn't always happens to the same degree, but it seems to happen more when I'm less happy with my work. The answer can't be that I should slack off in sermon prep so that God can work more. That makes little sense. What does make sense is prayer. Although I haven't "kept track" I probably end up praying more about the sermon that isn't working than the one I think is pretty good. Isn't that the way most of us are in most things? The more comfortable and confident we are in something, the less we concern ourselves with prayer. The less confident we are, the more we look to God. I need to realize that even when I think I have it altogether, I still need God's power just as much if not more.

Grace and peace,

Dave

Pastor's Job Description

Before you question my motives as you read this post, allow me to do it for you. Is it to complain? To some degree, yes. Is it an effort to relieve guilt. Absolutely! But I hope it will also give you something to think about with me and also to help me think about from your perspective.

Today was a work day at the church. I didn't go. And I felt guilty for it. There are several reasons why I didn't go(some would call them excuses). Here are my two main ones: Saturday is my only full day off and I don't always get even that. Second, I am not good at work days. It has never been my strength or expertise--painting, cleaning windows, changing florescent bulbs, etc. I don't enjoy it and I am just all thumbs at that kind of stuff. I honestly feel inferior at these days. I could add that my wife has a knee injury and it was important that I help her get some things done that she has trouble doing; true today, but not always the case.

I have helped a little in past work days and I have missed some altogether. No one has outright told me that they expect I should be there, but I'm quite sure that is the case. There was a recent incident that I heard about where someone expressed their opinion that I should be taking a turn cutting the church grass. To add a little more pressure, our church-owned house is just across the lawn from the church so we could see what was going on and they could likely see us at home.

I mostly don't believe I need to be there yet I feel some guilt about not going. The only good I can see for me to be there is being a good example and being in the trenches with the people. Certainly not insignificant, but I'm not convinced that is good enough reason to give up a much-needed day off. I think most of the guilt comes from not meeting others expectations, but at the same time most people don't really have a clue what I do there(what most pastors do for that matter). Some of those extra things would be most of the snow shoveling in the winter, a large share of moving tables and chairs up and down the stairs as needed, watering plants and so on. I hope that doesn't sound like bragging. My intention is more to inform.

Well enough from me. What do you think? Should I have gone? Why or why not? Should these types of things be in a pastor's job description? Do people understand the job of a pastor? Do you? I appreciate any comments you'd care to make. Thanks.

Grace and peace,

Dave

Vacation Thanksgiving

It's over a month until Canadian Thanksgiving, but it's always (or should be) the right time for showing gratitude to the Lord. We had a wonderful vacation and I want to say thanks for:

*being able to spend it with my best friend--my wife Patti

*wonderful warm dry weather (only a day and a half of rain)

*both my two-year-old grandchildren who having not seen me for a year did not make strange

*some fun biking with Jonathan, Knox and Declan

*some intense biking with Ron AND making the big hill in the Edmonton river valley

*great times at parks with all our grandchildren

*some great talks with our sons and their wives

*a few hours of fun playing MarioKart(and improving slightly)

*the discipline not to run out and buy a Wii

*an hour and a half coffee with my former workmate and friend Don

*time spent catching up with other former workmates

*the opportunity to experience three church services that I didn't have to plan

* some of the wonders of God's creation in the Canadian prairies

* experiencing new territory: Montana, a bit of Wyoming, South and North Dakota which included the black hills, Mount Rushmore, and a bit of the badlands

*75 mph speed limits on the interstates to help us get back home in time

*safety in everywhere we went and everything we did

*no problems with the van that turned 200,000 km. on the trip

*a job to come back to so I can pay all the bills from the trip

Grace and peace,

Dave

Camp-style Worship and Men

I had the privilege of being at a Christian kids' camp this week to share the Bible story in chapel. I'm quite sure I received more than I gave. To start with, the cook insisted on making me a delicious bacon sandwich. But what really gave me a lift was the worship of these kids(grade two to seven, I think). It wasn't so much the songs they sang. It was their enthusiasm. They were being taught to be excited, not just about singing, but about God and His Son. Even the boys. Especially the boys!

I've recently read stuff about why men don't care for church and I've seen it first hand. Here's just one article is you're interested in learning more. I wonder if the leaders of this camp read some of this material. They certainly encouraged boys to be boys and make a strong stand for Jesus. Just one small example of what I suspect was an on-going theme: The group was learning Romans 10:9 together. They broke into parts- a girls' part and a boys' part. Girls: "If you confess with your mouth" Boys: "that JESUS IS LORD" (loud and accompanied by fist pumps) Girls: "and believe in your heart" All: "You shall be SAVED."

There's no way to do it justice with words on a page, but I'll tell you it gave me chills to hear these young guys praising God and enjoying it. Of course this kind of thing is not allowed in church on a Sunday morning. There are camp songs and there are Sunday morning church songs. There are camp activities and there are Sunday morning church activities. There are many excited boys at camp and there are a few bored boys and men at Sunday morning church!

Dave

2nd Annual Canoe Trip the Last?

Anyone want to buy a canoe?

A week has passed since I took part in a canoe trip with guys from my church. I'm finally feeling like maybe I can talk about it a little. The day started sunny and a little on the cool side which was perfect for strenuous activity. Nine of us took to the mighty Rainy River in four canoes and a kayak. This was to be a half-day trip of about twelve miles to Emo. We got going at about 9:30 a.m. with high spirits. No more than an hour later the wind picked up enough to form small waves and whitecaps. I have a small (12 foot) Sportspal canoe, which at 35 pounds, I can put on the top of our van by myself. It's been great for windless days or sheltered areas. It is practically useless in a stiff wind(which I only just found out last week). At one point the wind caught us on the side and turned us right around. I couldn't get it turned back in spite of my most valiant efforts. I had to head to shore, get out and turn it around by hand!

That was just the beginning of the fun. A while later a gust of wind blew my hat right off my head and out of reach. In an effort to retrieve it we tipped the canoe and landed in the river. That was a bit of a shock, enough that I forgot about the hat and concentrated on making sure we didn't lose anything else. That was a mistake. After paddling with all our might for four hours we estimated that we were about 7/12 of the way to our destination. With the wind increasing and everyone beginning to feel it, we decided to turn around and put the wind at our backs even though the way back was further. So now we were riding the waves which were a good foot-and-a-half to two feet high. I found trying to hold the canoe straight and time the waves was just as exhausting and more than a little scary. After about 45 minutes of this I decided there was no way I was going to make it back to our starting point. The terrain is fairly rugged along the river. There are a few houses and a fair bit of farm land up the bank so when I saw some buildings I called it quits. My partner graciously agreed. We had a cell phone and our plan was to call home and beg for a ride.


Now came the task of climbing a muddy bank which turned into waist high grass which turned into an electric fence! Thankfully there was only one strand of fence about three feet off the ground. We were able to slide the canoe and ourselves under it without harm. At this point we discovered that the phone was not working. What to do now? We finally made it to a farmer's laneway where a barking dog summoned his owner for us. After trying to make a phone call for us and getting no answer, the farmer offered to drive us back to our starting point. I then realized that my wife was waiting for us at our intended destination and I had no way to reach her. The farmer willingly drove us into Emo...me holding the canoe in the back of a rickety old pickup which probably should not have left the farm. When we arrived our ride was no where to be seen. I walked down the main street and back and could not find my wife or the van. After a half hour of wondering what to do the wives of all the guys showed up. They had tired of waiting and gone to get some lunch!


Remember my big mistake of not rescuing my cap? The first thing my wife commented on was how burnt my forehead and scalp were! So far I wasn't feeling any pain or more accurately, my arms and upper body muscles were in much more pain. As we headed back to the house where we were planning to have a barbecue we wondered if the other guys had arrived yet. Turns out we were the first ones back, but before long the next group arrived, their canoe in the back of a pickup. And the group after that was a half hour behind them, arriving in yet another pickup!


We waited a while for the last canoe, but finally decided to eat. We had not eaten anything but a couple Tootsie rolls since breakfast and it was now late afternoon. Finally at about 5:30 p.m., 8 hours after we started, the last two guys arrived, exhausted but safe. They were the only ones to actually make it and they deserve our admiration. Still, I am not sorry I bailed out early. Especially when most of the others ended up doing the same. I knew I was not going to make it. I think that sometimes wisdom is knowing when to quit.


By that evening I was beginning to feel the heat and pain of my head and face. By Sunday morning my forehead had broken out into blisters and by afternoon they were oozing down my face. Not a pretty sight. Next came the itching and peeling. Again not a pretty sight, but finally a week later it is beginning to heal and outside of possible skin cancer down the road I will survive.


As we discussed the possibility of next year's canoe trip(this was the second windy one in a row) one guy suggested we go bowling instead. Not sure what we'll end up doing, but in hindsight I want to thank God for His protection. Things could have turned much worse than they did, but God brought us all home safely.

The evening of our outing.

Grace and Truth

As I've been working my way through the Gospel of John in my personal study, John 7:7 has stuck in my mind. Jesus said to his unbelieving brothers, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil."

Doesn't sound like anything profound or something you would bother memorizing does it? It's the last part of the verse that caught my attention- Jesus being hated by the world because He tells the truth about their sinfulness. While the Gospel is good news it begins with the offensive news that all people are sinners. But if you're like me it is very hard to tell people that, let alone convince them of it. I don't like being hated. I don't want to upset people or turn them off. Yet I know if they can't see their sin as God sees it, they will not understand their need for God and will have no motivation to receive Jesus. We need to take the risk.

Looking at it from a slightly different angle, Christians as a whole do not have a good reputation in the world. We are hated by many like Jesus was, but I think it is often for a different reason. We tend to turn more people off with our actions than with our words. The world sees us as hypocrites, unloving, greedy, angry and miserable. While people were attracted to Jesus by His love, kindness, grace, and servanthood they don't see much of that in us.

The question I ask myself is, What should we be hated for? Which is more biblical:to be hated for telling God's truth or for living a hypocritical life? God's way is for us to be attractive in character and actions and offensive in message. He can break into lives to make His truth make sense if we don't get in the way with unchristian behaviour.

Grace and peace,

Dave

You Can't Take It With You

This is a topic I've addressed here before and also preached and taught on so it's not new, but maybe a new way of thinking about it for some.  The idea comes from author Randy Alcorn but I've put it more or less in my own words.  

Suppose you are offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work in Paris, France for a period of time.  The pay you are being offered is more than you have ever or will ever be able to make again and of course the location is fantastic.  The timeline is a little fuzzy.  No one is exactly sure how long the job will last-somewhere in the neighbourhood of a few months.  The termination date will be without warning.  One day you'll be told the job is finished and you'll be immediately put on a plane for home.  In spite of these uncertainties, the job is too good to pass up.

Once you arrive in France you find that there is one more catch.  You may live however and wherever you like and purchase anything you wish, but you cannot take anything with you when you leave France and return home.  You can't bring back any money or goods of any kind.  However you can send all the money you want back home while you're still in France.  

You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.

So here's the question: How will you live while in France?  Will you find the most expensive hotel possible to live in for those few months?  Will you replace all the furniture in that hotel room with the things that better suit your tastes?  Will you buy expensive paintings and the latest electronic gadgets and a fancy sports car?  Will you eat out in expensive restaurants, soak in every form of entertainment and basically live like a celebrity?  Sounds like fun, doesn't it!

But remember, in a few months you will have to leave it all behind and you won't have anything to show for what you've spent or acquired.  Will you spend everything you get or will you send as much back home as you can so you can enjoy it there?  Will you live high on the hog for a few months or send your fortune home and set yourself up for the many years to come?

This is not a hypothetical situation for the believer in Christ.  If we let the few months in France represent our lives on earth now and the many years at home represent eternity in Heaven, we have a real-life case we need to think about.

1Timothy 6:18-19

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Grace, peace and happy treasure-building,

Dave