When the Bible refers to “saints” it is clearly a reference to all Christian believers. There is no use of the word in scripture that suggests a specific person or group of people set apart within the faith community. The early church however, chose to use the word as a way of identifying those whose lives reflected the life of Christ and the best of Christian teaching. It was a way to lift up good examples of the faith so that people could know what Christian faithfulness looked like.

There is a lot of debate about how the church should embrace the theology of saints in our day, but the idea of looking for great examples of the faith is certainly a good one. As I continue to think about ways to better organize my life and make time for everything that matters, I am drawn to those people in my life whose lives demonstrate virtues, values and actions that I can replicate to make my life better.

I think of my grandfather who clearly understood that all of life was lived in connection to Jesus Christ and that even the most mundane acts could be expressions of faith. I think of a former parishioner who served as a missionary for many years and whose life reflected a profound ability to trust God even when circumstances seemed insurmountable and resources unavailable. I think of my wife who patiently offers her best in all of the details of life letting her family know they are loved by the attention to the multitude of “little things,” all the while, sharing the love and joy of her faith.

These and so many others including, my mother, family, teachers, colleagues, friends and countless other people in my life, are sources of inspiration for my Christian faith and examples for ways to face difficult challenges. They are “saints” for me, who point the way to successfully navigating the waters of life in the light of Jesus Christ. But, I am not the only one with such saints. All of us have people who, as gifts of God, bless our lives. They illustrate by practice, what God teaches us through the Word and the Spirit.

Who are your saints? What do they teach you about successful Christian living? How can their example strengthen you when you are week and direct you when you are lost? Take time to appreciate these gifts of God in your life and learn from them the lessons they have learned from God.

The post Celebrating Saints appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard those words, and how many times I said them. There are times when all of us would rather not expend the metal effort to take in more information. Sometimes we feel too tired or maybe the material does not excite us, but whatever the reason, we don’t feel like learning any more.

Most of us can relate to feeling little or no motivation to study, but there is a deeper challenge when it comes to living our faith that threatens to leave us unprepared for the work of ministry and the challenges of life that we will experience. That challenge is not the lack of motivation, but the lack of desire. When we move beyond “I don’t feel like it” to “I don’t want to” the situation is much more serious, and when the subject is our faith journey the impact can be devastating. That may sound dramatic, but when it comes to living and sharing the Christian life, the results of our choices have eternal significance.

The Apostle Paul told his younger protege, Timothy, “Study to show yourself approved.” (2 Timothy 2:15) There is a real need for Christians to invest time and themselves in the work of study for the sake of their faith journey and their impact with the Gospel. It is true,that many modern translations of this verse replace the word “study” with “discipline yourself” but a necessary part of that discipline is renewing the mind and spirit through study.

Too many times as a pastor, I hear people say, “Just tell me what to believe (or do).” The implication is that they would rather blindly follow someone else’s direction than do the hard work themselves, yet that is exactly what they need. More than a simple answer or a personal direction from the pastor, the real knowledge lies in allowing the Spirit to use their studious efforts mingled with divine revelation. Pastoral insight may be a part of that process, but there is so much more. I once has a door hanger that read, “I trust in the Lord, but I still have to study.” The quote is cute, but full of truth for all of us.

Our faith is surely more than academic, but it still requires our study. No sermon or teaching will replace time spent reading the Word of God, engaging the reflections of the community of faith over several millennia, and gaining the insights of the knowledge and wisdom of others. John Wesley, the founder of the Wesleyan denominations (including my own, the United Methodist Church) exemplified a model that engaged Scripture, tradition, experience and reason. We need to incorporate all four, and we need to do the work, not wait for someone else to do it for us.

We want to offer God our very best and that includes the mind and intelligence we were blessed with. Our study need not be laborious, but it must not be avoided.

In the coming days, I will be sharing some suggestions to help encourage and empower your study. For now, however, it is enough to encourage us all to take Paul’s advice and study so that we can show ourselves to be those approved.

Be blessed in this day and in your study. May God’s divine revelation multiply your efforts.

The post Study appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

This past weekend, our region learned of the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14 year old boy who was struggling with some significant issues in his life. He was also dealing with bullies. On top of all of the personal challenges he faced as a teenager, he was subjected to painful ridicule and verbal abuse. His pain led him to take his own life.

I did not know Jamey, and I cannot begin to understand all that he thought or felt, but I do know his death is tragic. There is no question, bullying is bad. It is a form of verbal violence that attacks a person’s identity and erodes their sense of self-worth and their sense of safety. It is bad and it is painful.

I have no knowledge of the specific abuses this young man experienced, but I do know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of these painful attacks. I have clear memories of hurtful words and embarrassing moments. I remember the physical intimidation that included being chased through school by someone trying to stab me with scissors because he just didn’t like me, and the Halloween night, two peers tried to set me on fire just for fun. Words and actions like that can hurt deeper than we imagine.

As I reflected on the sad events of this weekend, I was struck by the reality that bullying does not just take place at school and bullies are not just teenagers. Part of the culture that continues to produce people who take pleasure in the pain of others is the reality that many adults model exactly that type of behavior. I meet grown men and women who still deal with their own issues by attacking others, in what they do and what they say. This behavior becomes a living illustration to people who look up to them that meanness and cruelty are acceptable if we “feel” justified, or if we believe someone deserved it.

No one deserves it, and there is no justification for hatred. All of us are created in the image of God. We are his workmanship, created for good things. Even from the first creation, God saw all that was made and called it, “good.” Humanity, he called, “very good.” How can we hate what God made in the Divine image and called very good?

We are called to be living examples of God’s goodness. We need to teach one another, our children and all those God places within our sphere of influence how to act out of love. People need to understand the impact of their actions and words on the hearts and spirits of others around them. We have a calling to be role models of grace and love who treasure each life as Jesus does, and who teach others to do the same.

Bullies may always exist, but that should never make their actions acceptable, nor should we ever become insensitive to the pain they create. Since God is love, then we need to demonstrate the transforming power of love to the world, including those who suffer from the painful acts of others, and those who commit such acts. We will not make things better by hating the haters. Instead, we must break the cycles that produce hatred in the first place and become examples of how to live without it.

There is no better day to show God’s love than today and no better time to start than right now. As the old camp song said, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

May it be so, even now.

The post Where is the Love? appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

Numerous times as a father I heard these words as I attempted to teach one of my children how to do something. Their struggle for independence and desire to demonstrate what they knew would cause them to jump ahead of my instructions while informing me that they had it covered. Sometimes, they did. Often, they did not, and neither did I when took the same approach at their age. It is an important piece of knowledge we must acquire by learning from our mistakes. Even as adults, it is still difficult to acknowledge that we do not know everything and accept that we need help.

David, Israel’s well-known king, made his share of bad decisions including sleeping with the wife of one of his soldiers, and when he found that she was pregnant and his sin could not be hidden, made arrangements for her husband to be moved to the center of the battle to die. He suffered greatly for his choices, but learned from them as well. In Psalm 25:9, he writes, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

David learned the valuable lesson of humility. He discovered through that virtue God would teach him the right thing to do and show him God’s way to live. By recognizing his need for direction and his dependence upon God, he put himself in a position to be more than he thought possible, even when he thought too highly of himself.

It is a lesson for all of us. When we can honestly accept that we are not God, that we do not know all things and that we cannot always discern the right way, we develop a teachable spirit that God can use to lead us into blessing. As long as we think we have it covered, that we need nobody and no direction we set ourselves up for failure and frustration. When we embrace humility, we open ourselves to good directions, wise decisions and godly blessings.

David learned the hard way the deep pain that comes from pride and arrogance. Many of us have learned that painful lesson as well, but we can also allow these tough experiences to teach us humility and prepare us for a better future. There is never a bad time to start embracing humility. It is never too late. It is a decision we renew again and again, but we do so knowing that God gives grace to the humble, guiding them and teaching them the path that leads to life.

The post Humble Direction appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The psalmist wrote:

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me. (Ps. 16:7)

When we orient our hearts toward the praise of God, and when we seek and receive the counsel of God, then even in the night our heart will lead us to a deeper understanding of God and his direction for our lives. Our active attention to the Lord makes the way for even the hours of rest to become moments of growth with God.

Recently, I was confined to the sofa for a while to keep my leg elevated due to a serious infection in the skin. My wife was busy caring for our son who was injured at work, so there was plenty of time by myself. I used that time to read some books on the Bible and foundational theology, to meditate on some Scripture and to enjoy some worship music I recently purchased. After just a few days, I found that I would awaken in the middle of the night with a praise song on my lips or a word of Scripture in my head. The time spent saturating myself in God during the day, led to praise even in the wee hours of the morning.

More importantly, God began to use the words I listened to and read, to speak to me about important issues in my life. Even as David once prayed, “search me and know me, O God,” the Word of the Lord began to search my heart. Many things I needed to see were revealed. Some were very comforting, while others were quite challenging, but all were meaningful and necessary.

When we make time through conscious effort to place our attention on God, and when we saturate ourselves in the truth of his Word, then our quiet moments can become times of great revelation, instruction and encouragement. The things we actively took in begin to bear fruit, unfolding the truth of God before us. Yes, we learn and grow during our active study and meditation, but when we fill our spirits with the things of God, even the passive moments can be full of revelation.

As you walk through this day, may your eyes and ears be open, and your spirit receptive to all that God is doing around you. May you actively seek God and soak in his truth. And tonight, while you rest, may the Holy Spirit speak to you through all that you have seen and heard that you may draw closer to God, know his great love for you, and discover more of the destiny he has in store for your future.

Be blessed in the day, and in the night.

The post Night Lessons appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

I awoke this morning well rested, especially since we were able to gain an hour last night as we set our clocks back. I was equally well prepared for this morning’s events after spending a fair amount of time in final preparations last night. It was bound to ba a great day.

I came downstairs to find that there was an issue that needed my immediate attention and that was far more complicated than I expected. A little flustered by the surprise, I gathered my things and went to church. Before long I was ready to begin my class. I opened my teaching notes I so diligently wrote the night before, to discover I’d prepared the materials for the wrong week and now had no info for the subject of the day. I was able to gather a resource that allowed me to continue the class and in the end we enjoyed a great discussion, and I learned some humility.

The change began as we entered Worship. Slowly the day seemed to take a new course and the earlier craziness and mistakes began to reveal their connection to what God designed for the service. Before long, I found that, what had earlier seemed like frustration, was now becoming a blessing. Even the way the class conversation developed dovetailed into the focus of the worship experience.

At the end of the morning, I felt much better. One of my folk even commented on how amazing it is that everything ends up connected. Looking back, I amazed how God can work with our simple, sometimes flawed, efforts and produce something of value. I still believe in solid preparation and a commitment to excellence, but it is comforting to know that having God in the mix opens the door to success even when we accidentally tried to close it.

I thank God I am not on my own, left to my own abilities. I thank God that the Holy Spirit can work though my flaws. I thank God that he can take what little I have and make much from it. I thank God… maybe we all should.

The post Thank God appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

I started working on the lessons today since my schedule was opening up and because we will begin our new journey the first Sunday of November. It has been some time since I read the thoughts of the early Christians, and the time spent in preparation today ended up being a meaningful devotional time for me personally.

One faithful, anonymous voice shared these words that spoke to my heart today:

So let us always reflect the image of God in these ways:
I do not swell up with the arrogance of pride;
nor do I droop with the blush of anger;
nor do I succumb to the passion of avarice;
nor do I surrender myself to the ravishes of gluttony;
nor do I infect myself with the duplicity of hypocrisy;
nor do I contaminate myself with the filth of rioting;
nor do I grow flippant with the pretension of conceit;
nor do I grow enamored of the burden of heavy drinking;
nor do I alienate by the dissension of mutual admiration;
nor do I infect others with the biting of detraction;
nor do I grow conceited with the vanity of gossip.

Rather, instead, I will reflect the image of God in that I feed on love;
grow certain of faith and hope;
strengthen myself on the virtue of patience;
grow tranquil by humility;
grow beautiful by chastity;
am sober by abstention;
am made happy by tranquility;
and am ready for death by practicing hospitality.
It is with such inscriptions that God imprints his coins with an impression made neither by hammer nor by chisel but has formed them with his primary divine intention. For Caesar required his image on every coin, but God has chosen man, whom he has created, to reflect his glory.
(Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 42)

I was especially blessed by the line, “I will reflect the image of God in that I feed on love,” though there is much more to be mined from these thoughtful reflections. May some of those treasures be yours as well as we see to be reflections of the divine image for the transformation of ourselves and the world.

The post Faithful Roots appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

More than anything, I could not wait to make our new home where I would be able to share my life with my bride. While it has become increasingly more common for couples to live together prior to their marriage, we wanted to take things in their proper order and wait until we were married. So, I could not wait for the precious moments of waking up together, sharing time at home with one another, and ending our day together.

Now, 25 years later, I still celebrate those wonderful little moments that make up being home with my wife. Whether it is sharing coffee on the porch, eating dinner together or just waking up in the middle of the night to the presence of the one I love next to me, being home with her is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

In John’s gospel, we hear the words of Jesus, “”If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (14:23) Think of that. Jesus is saying that when we walk with him in the light of his teaching, God chooses to make his home with us.

Now, I remain amazed at the beauty of sharing my life with my wife, but the thought of the Creator of the world choosing to share that same intimacy with me is truly awesome. God wants to be in relationship with humanity – a close relationship. God loves us so much that he wants to make his home with us.

God called Abraham, “friend,” and he wants that deep relationship with us as well. That is an awesome and beautiful thing, and it is a reason to celebrate our life with God. Right here, right now, Jesus Christ is making his home with all those who will choose to obey his teaching and enjoy the relationship that follows.

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