Encouraging Words File

I have two rituals when it comes to encouraging words: 1) I try to be intentional about giving them out and 2) I hang on to everyone that I get.

I'm a pretty routine person and every Tuesday I try to write at least two to three people a note of encouragement. Sometimes I know they are going through something tough and sometimes I just sense that I should write them. That small act of encouraging someone else actually encourages me.

I also have a file in my office marked "encouraging words." Anytime someone writes me a note, sends me an Email or turns in a communication card from the Sunday bulletin, I file them away. It's great to be able to pull that file out when I'm having a tough week and look through it. I literally have notes that are over ten years old.

Several years ago, when I was the youth pastor, our group was pretty upset about a new rule that needed to be put in place. Probably 90% of the students were not happy with me and made it known. After a particularly difficult youth group meeting I wandered into my office feeling really down. Laying on my desk was a handwritten note from one of the students, an eight grader. It said "Hang in there, you're doing a good job. I'm glad you're my youth pastor." Wow! That blew me away.

This week has been one of those weeks. Not bad, just busy, a lot on my mind and feeling really overwhelmed. Out of habit, a few minutes ago, I looked at my Blackberry on my way downstairs to watch some TV. Sitting in my inbox was one of those notes. This time it wasn't from an eight grader, rather someone in their eighties. It said "You're doing a fine job. I'm glad you are my pastor." Those kinds of notes, at just the right time, still blow me away.

Imagine the impact we could have on our world just by encouraging a few people each week. I think we could actually have a part in people being better people. And imagine how your life could be different if you held on to the encouraging words and filed them away and let go of all of the discouraging words.

Make Me Clean

I was reading in Matthew 8 this morning. The first story is a very short one about a guy with leprosy. Jesus heals him.

I've read or heard the story probably a hundred times. But this time something jumped out at me. The man said to Jesus "Lord make me clean." He could have said anything else; "make be better," "heal me," etc. But he said "make me clean."

I think the man wanted more than just to be healed physically. I think he wanted to be restored back into community and into his relationships. Having leprosy meant total isolation from family, friends, work, home, church - everything. I think he wanted to be restored physically, spiritually, relationally, and emotionally.

It occurred to me that we don't pray this prayer today. I think we should. I think we should want total restoration in our lives. Restoration, not just with God, but with our spouse, children, friends, co-workers, people we serve in ministry with or go to small group with, people we disagree with, people who are different from us - everyone.

I think all of that is wrapped up in "Lord make me clean."

Sermon in Starbucks

I was sitting in Starbucks today, doing some sermon preparation, and was given a visual sermon by someone else.

A young lady (in her early 20's) was sitting at a table, drinking her latte and talking on her cell phone. All of a sudden she dropped her phone and jumped out of her seat. It was so abrupt that it caught the attention of several of us sitting near by.

It turns out she had spotted an older gentleman walking through the store. The lid on his coffee cup was not on all the way and he was not aware of it. So she asked if she could help him with it. The man was very appreciative of the help, she fixed his cup and they both went on there way.

It got me thinking. How many times a day do we miss opportunities to help someone, even in a small way, because we have our agenda, appointments, phone calls, stress, etc.? Who knows what difference that small act of kindness and sensitivity made in that man's life and in the lives of the people that he came in contact with later?

It reminds me of another story. Two young men (high school age) entered a church to attend a service. They were late, the service had already started, and the place was packed. When they saw that, they turned around to leave, thinking that there was no room for them.

An usher, an older gentleman, saw them leaving and chased them down, invited them to come back and helped them find a seat. That night, in that service, those two young men gave their lives to Christ. One of them was named Billy Graham.

I bet that usher had no idea how that small act of kindness and sensitivity would impact the world. I'm sure he has since passed away and gone to heaven. Can you imagine the line of people, waiting to thank that usher for helping those two young men that night.

There Is A Crack In Everything

I came across this story while preparing for our Christmas Eve service. It's a great story about what makes Christmas so great.

Edna Hong’s book, Bright Valley of Love, is the true story of a physically challenged child who found a haven of love.

Gunther was born near the end of World War I. His father was away at war. His mother would not care for him because he was deformed, suffering from a severe case of Rickets.

His grandmother, who begrudgingly took him in, hated him and was embarrassed by his deformity. She kept him locked up, out of sight and away from people. No one talked to him. No one answered his cries. They merely changed him and fed him when it was convenient.

At age six he couldn’t talk and his deformity, which increased in severity due to the lack of sunshine and milk, prevented him from walking. His father met and married a new wife. When she refused to have anything to do with Gunther, the grandmother insisted he be institutionalized.

They left him at Bethel, a Christian home for epileptics, as well as physically and mentally challenged youth. With the loving care of the staff and with the help of an epileptic roommate, named Kurt, Gunther began to learn how to talk and thus began to learn about life. In fact it was Kurt who told Gunther about Christmas.

The story of Jesus’ birth and the love of God filled Gunther with joy. But there was something else that filled him with fear - little Kurt, his friend, was getting worse. In fact, he told Gunther, one night, that he would soon be going to his heavenly home, maybe as early as Christmas time.

On the first Sunday of Advent, when Pastor Fritz began their Advent service, the joy and excitement of the day wiped out his fear. When the moment came for the Advent candle to be lit, little Kurt was chosen to do the honors. The children watched expectantly as Kurt took the small lighted candle and leaned toward the unlighted candle of the Advent wreath.

But suddenly, the burning candle dropped. A moan burst from Kurt’s lips and his body shook in spasm after spasm of an epileptic seizure. One of the nurses quickly took him in her arms and left the room. Pastor Fritz rescued the cracked, but still burning candle and lit the wreath, singing as he did so. The staff and children joined in until a shrill cry emerged from the heart of Gunther’s fear.

The song stopped and Gunther screamed, “There’s a crack in everything.” Every face in the room turned and looked at Gunther, but Gunther looked only at one face, the face of Pastor Fritz. Once again he flung his wild desperate complaint against that face saying, “There is a crack in everything!” And then he added, “What is so great about Christmas?” The silence of the room ached with Gunther’s pain.

Finally, Pastor Fritz turned from Gunther and appealed to the children saying, “Gunther needs to know what is so great about Christmas. Will you help me tell him please?” Manford, a child with a mind for mathematics said, “Christmas comes in December. December is the 12th Month. Christmas comes on the 25th day. The 25th day of the 12 month.” “So it does,” said Pastor Fritz. “Thank you, Manford.” Monika jumped to her feet, beamed at Pastor Fritz and spoke the only words in her vocabulary, “Alleluia, Oh Susanna!” And then she sat down. “Thank you, Monica.” Said the pastor. “Can anyone else tell Gunther what is so great about Christmas?” Petra, the oldest of the patients there, but with a mental age of only five said, “Christmas is so great ‘cause then God sent his son, Jesus our Savior.”

Pastor Fritz said, “That’s true, Petra. Thank you. But why? Children, why did God send his son to be our Savior?” Finally, Leni climbed form her chair to the table top and shouted, ‘Because. Because everything has a crack!”

Pastor Fritz said, “It is true, Gunther, that there is a crack in everything. God sees the crack better than we do, and the crack is ever so much worse than we think it is. That is why God sent his son. Not to patch up the crack. But to make everything new. That is why Christmas is so great!”

Primal - Review

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson is by far one of the best books I've read. I've followed Mark's blog for several years and this past summer I had the privilege of meeting Mark and spending some time getting to know him. He's the real deal. His passion for Christ, his family, as a dad and as a pastor is evident in everything he says and writes.

Primal is loaded with historical facts, scientific studies, research, and personal stories. Some of Mark's stories will make you laugh out loud. Which can be a little embarrassing if you're reading in the middle of a crowded Starbucks. Others will make you cry. But all of them are told with creativity and purpose.

The premise of the book is the Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all you strength. Mark asks the question "What if every believer lived out this verse?" I have to admit, when I heard that question, I thought this was going to be an easy read for me. After all I've been to seminary. I have a Masters Degree in church. I've served in full-time ministry for over 15 years and have been a Lead Pastor for almost six years. And recently I even travelled to a third-world country as part of a team to begin leading our church to take on a giant problem; children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.

By chapter three I knew that this was not going to be an "easy read." In each chapter I found myself challenged more and more as I began to rethink the calling of the Great Commandment and how I had been trying to live it out. Mark has a way of taking the religious concepts that the church has complicated through the years and boil them down to their simple, yet profound truths.

This book is hard hitting and in your face. Primal is a must read for any one who wants to be challenged to become a part of something that is bigger than they are. It's for anyone who wants to become great at the Great Commission.

Primal

Just started reading Mark Batterson's new book Primal today. I was one of several people chosen to preview it early and write a review on my blog. I'm loving this for two reasons.

One, it's great to get something new before anyone else does. I have a friend who used to manage a movie theater in our area. On several occasions I got to be a part of a mid-night showing the day before the movie released. Getting an advanced copy of Primal feels a little like that. Although he did just give out copies to EVERYONE in his church this past Sunday. That's probably about 1000 people.

The second, and more important reason I am loving this is because I know Mark personally. I met him a couple of years ago but got to spend some time with him this past Summer in a small group. He's the real deal and his books aways reflect that.

I hope to have the book finished by the end of next week and a review posted by Dec. 22. I can't wait to see what God does through this book.

Kenya - One Day Out

One day until our team leaves for Kenya. It's been hard to focus for the last couple of weeks. Now I'm just plain excited.

We don't really know what to expect from this trip. We're pretty much going in blind. Most of us are used to mission trips that have a primary task to be completed. This one is much more of a fact finding, relationship building, vision casting kind of a trip. I'm definitely out of my comfort zone with that, but experience tells me that's when God tends to show up.

We've got 7 people going on this trip, all from different backgrounds, from other states and churches and even from other countries. I can't wait to see what each person's role is going to be.

Our team hopes to be able to post each day while we are there. I will try to duplicate posts to this blog. Our team's blog is http://www.fairfaxcirclechurch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=44&Itemid=73