Shout Joyously

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”   —Psalm 100:1

I go to more than my share of fireworks displays each summer. Watching my wife enjoy each fireworks display like it was her first is simply amazing. But, I wouldn’t call July Fourth’s fireworks display we took our two-year old granddaughter at Point Stadium amazing. We entered via the main gate and walked past the artillery cannons, which should have given us an idea of what was to come. After several barrages, Addi burst into screaming and uncontrollable outbursts of her own. After several back and forth barrages between Nanna and Pappy, we were all in tears when we finally exited the stadium.

The Thunder in the Valley fireworks were truly amazing for me this year but for a different reason. We watched from the Goodwill Store parking lot again this year, and as each rocket exploded in air, a shout went up from behind us. I am used to the typical “oohs” and “aahs,” but this was different. Soon the children in front of us were joining in. Each explosion brought another joyous shout. After several attempts to find the source, I located a lady a few cars behind us thoroughly enjoying the fireworks. At first I was slightly annoyed but didn’t know why. Soon, I realized that my annoyance was not because her shouts bothered me but because I was jealous. You see, I do not easily cast off my inhibitions and publicly display my feelings.

The Psalmist calls us, to “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (100:1). The “all the earth” phrase clearly indicates that I am included. I love to worship. I even occasionally lift up both arms in praise and worship to God, but I seldom shout. As many of you have heard me say, “I’m a crier, not a shouter.” When moved in worship I am more likely to mist up, even let a sob slip out, but not a shout.

When I first accepted Christ as my personal Savior at age 18, I knew without a doubt that God answered my prayers, forgave my sins, and came into my heart and life. I felt like a huge burden of sin and guilt had been lifted from my heart. A peace came over me that has never left. I think peace may be what most folks feel when they experience the assurance that their sins have been forgiven by God. Jesus paid it all. The Cross of Jesus, for me, became a symbol of my peace.

The joy of the Lord did not come immediately. Several years later, when I totally surrendered my life to Jesus asking Him to be the Lord (leader and boss) of my life, the joy of the Lord flooded my soul. Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. As we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, there comes into our hearts a wellspring of joy. The Holy Spirit became for me not just a symbol but a present reality of the joy of the Lord.

I still don’t shout much, but I can enjoy worshipping with those who do. How is the joy level in your life? If you are a child of God, the joy of the Lord and the sweet and powerful presence of God’s Holy Spirit are available to you. Surrender your will and life to the Lordship of Jesus and ask for the fullness of His Holy Spirit. May the joy of the Lord become a spring of living water in your life, and may you have the courage and freedom to shout for joy to the Lord.

Low Road to Happiness

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”—Luke 6:20

At the age of 23, George Beverly Shea had a difficult decision to make.  He could accept a job in a secular singing position in New York City with a great salary and wide respect, or he could continue singing in churches and for Christian radio programs. While sitting at the family piano preparing a special hymn for the Sunday service, he found placed there by his mother a poem by Mrs. Rhea F. Miller.  He immediately composed the music for the poem and sang it that same morning in his father’s church service.  He also used those words to direct his life and has shared his song, I’d Rather Have Jesus, all over the world.

The familiar lyrics follow, verse 1: “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land; I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.”  The Chorus: “Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin’s dread sway! I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”

In Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus said to His disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” We may not completely understand the many ways the poor are blessed, but the poor may be assured that even though they lack many of this world’s goods, they are abundantly blessed by God’s love in Jesus Christ. Jesus preached wherever He went that the first shall be last, and the last first. The least will be greatest. The rejected will be chosen.

Many who would be considered poor or would consider themselves as poor are poor only. They are very sad, often angry, and certainly not blessed or “happy” as some translations read. But many godly poor are certainly not poor in spirit. They live with a confidence that God is guiding and supporting them by His presence. They are able to love and share and witness to the blessedness (happiness) of possessing the love of God in abundance.

Although I do not completely understand the blessedness of the poor, I understand all too well the four woes that follow in Luke’s Gospel. Luke 4 gives only four beatitudes, but they are followed by four woes: Woe to the rich, woe to the well-fed, woe to those who laugh, and woe to those who receive worldly acclaim (4:24-26). I cannot help but consider how those woes accurately describe many of us in the western world. We may say the phrase, “Money cannot buy happiness,” but we sure try.

Shea sang, “I’d rather be His than have riches untold.” Scripture teaches that “godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6-7). Worldly possessions may last for a lifetime, but a relationship with God through Christ lasts for eternity. True happiness is not found in how many possessions one has but in finding contentment in the knowledge that God has you.

The low road to happiness is taken by those who would rather have Jesus than anything, by those who want Jesus more than air to breathe, more than gold and silver, more than power and affluence. When we want Jesus more than food and life itself, we are filled with the peace, joy and presence of Jesus. If Jesus is all you want, you are most blessed above all people.

Deep and Wide

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”   —Luke 10:27

“How do you like living in the city?” was the question many asked me when I moved to Johnstown seven years ago. I like it well enough, but some of the country problems I grew up with are much worse in the city like wild animals in the garden.

 

When we planted our garden this year, we worked late into the evening and didn’t have time to put up our critter fence. Sure enough, two nights later, deer came through and grazed off the tops of four tomato plants. I immediately erected the fence, but with small plants and plenty of open space in the garden, the deer simply jumped over the fence the next night and pulled out two more tomato plants, roots and all. The deer probably just tasted another plant, but rather than it breaking off, the whole plant came up. Again, I immediately took action and replanted both.

 

Watching the tomato plants re-root and re-grow their leaves reminded me of a children’s song many of you probably remember from Sunday School, Deep and Wide. “Deep and wide. There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.” The song continues, “Hmmm and wide” and the next time “Hmmm and hmmm” repeatedly until the entire lyrics are “Hmmm hmmm hmmm.” The song describes the working of God’s Spirit in our lives and the width and depth of God’s love, but I thought of the similarities between the roots and branches of our garden plants and our Christian lives.

At Oakland, we claim the mission statement, “Making Passionate and Compassionate Followers of Jesus Christ.” We seek to become and to teach others to become followers of Jesus who are deep and wide. Luke 10:27 describes Jesus’ summation of the Law and the Prophets into two commandments, “Love God and Love our Neighbors.” To grow deep is to grow more passionate in our love for God. To grow wide is to grow in demonstrating our love for others.

So how are you doing living out that simple child-like song? Are you growing deeper in the fountain of God’s love? Are you more passionately in love with God today than you were last month or last year? How well are you growing in your compassion for others? Do you demonstrate love, patience, and mercy to those around you? Are you growing in the number of kind deeds you do and prayers you pray for your neighbors? After replanting my tomato plants, I couldn’t tell how the roots were doing, but I could easily see the branches growing greener and leafier. In the same way, you can easily count and measure outreach, but how do you evaluate passion for God?

As you seek to measure your love for God, ask yourself, “Are my worship times sweeter than last year?” “Do I more readily seek to follow God’s ways?” Measuring the growth of a child or a garden plant is quite easy, but measuring the growth of our passion for God may require more serious reflection. I would not suggest that you continually check your spiritual pulse, but a monthly spiritual checkup might prevent some of the chronic spiritual diseases like apathy, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and criticism. “Deep and wide, deep and wide…” How well does deep and wide describe your love for God and neighbors, today?

Strong and Very Courageous

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous.”  —Joshua 1:6-7

Summer has arrived, schedules have changed, and I am enjoying the opportunity to get together with a group of young adults at my house. Last week, we looked at a study entitled, “Uprising,” Erwin McManus related a near death experience he had while white water rafting on the American River in California. He describes how his survival instinct kicked in, and he fought for his life to climb out of the rapids.

I asked each member of the group if they had ever been in a life or death situation. None had. A couple of us were in car crashes, but no one was really injured. Once last summer when losing weight, I had a fainting spell. My blood pressure was much lower than usual and I was working outside in 90 degree temperature. Dehydrated, I thought I was having the big one. Mostly though, we never felt our lives at risk. We’re a pretty tame bunch. We love adrenaline rushes but the safe kind, amusement park rides, 3-D movies, and virtual reality games. Like most Americans, we stay in our safe little world of friends and conveniences.

I remember going on my first mission trip with my wife and seeing her nervously shake in bed as we tried to sleep the night before taking off for Honduras. I was too young or naïve to realize the risks we were taking, riding on foreign airlines with a group of strangers into the third world. I simply didn’t think about it, but Darlene did and was scared to death. She mustered her courage and went anyway. Which of us had more courage? I love the quote attributed to John Wayne, “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.” True courage is when you see the giant or challenge before you but move forward anyway in faith to face it.

God had just appointed Joshua to replace Moses and lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. You may remember how the children of Israel, after spying out the Promised Land, allowed fear to turn what should have been a couple month journey of faith into what Mike Slaughter called, “a forty-year waste of a lifetime for a whole generation.” Joshua and Caleb alone were voices of courage. They reported to Moses and the rest, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). When the others were paralyzed by fear, Joshua and Caleb courageously urged them, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land … and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land” (14:7-9). It should come as no surprise that God’s words to Joshua as he took over leadership from Moses forty years later were, “Be strong and courageous…Be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:6-7).

What risks have you taken lately for God? Where do you know God is calling you that might cause a risk for you, your family, or your church? Christianity is not for cowards. If you want to play it safe, live for yourself, and do what is comfortable and convenient, then you have decided to live like the rest of the world. God calls His people to move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit. God never promised the Christian life would be easy, but He did promise He would never leave or forsake us. God promised that as believers we have the same power that Jesus had. So, what are you waiting for? Move forward in faith, face the giants, tackle the challenges, and take the land for Jesus.

Which Way to Go

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”            —Proverbs 22:6

 How does a country boy from Mudlic, Pennsylvania end up with 25 years of formal schooling from four different colleges and graduate schools and the pastor of a United Methodist Church in Johnstown?  As I look back over my life, I notice that seemingly insignificant events and experiences have become life changing and directing milestones.

Growing up, my dad drilled this mantra into our beings, “Get a good education, so you can get a good job and make lots of money and not have to work hard.” Dad may not have actually said all those words every time, but the message came through loud and clear. After the Navy, Dad worked his way up the ladder to plant foreman at a firebrick plant in St. Charles, PA, just north of Kittanning. Not being able to move any higher because he lacked a college degree, Dad lost his job when the steel industry declined and the plant closed. From then on, our family struggled to live above the poverty level.

When my time for college came, my older brother, who was working for UPS and getting a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, told me to get an IE degree, and we would start a consulting firm together. I had no idea what an Industrial Engineer did but enrolled at Penn State University as an IE major. During my freshman year at college, I asked Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. Jesus did just that and completely changed the direction of my life. No longer interested in making lots of money and not really liking the idea of working at a desk (I still didn’t know what an Industrial Engineer did), I dropped out of college before the spring trimester. I was 18 years old and didn’t know any better.

We generally understand the often-quoted proverb, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” to mean giving children a spiritual foundation of Church and Sunday School attendance. Parents of wayward children cling to this proverb trusting that the spiritual seeds sown early in their children’s lives will eventually bear fruit. There is also a vocational interpretation to this passage. Training up a child, in addition to dedicating your child to God, may mean giving them guidance into life and career.

We may interpret “the way he should go,” to mean “the path especially belonging to, especially fitted for, the individual's character.” In this way, the proverb urges parents and adult mentors to get to know a child’s temperament, personality, and giftedness and guide them accordingly. Parents cannot force children into or away from certain fields or life paths, but we can direct them into learning experiences that might help them discern God’s calling and vocation.

Recently, I anecdotally asked several folks how they arrived at their current position or career path. A few persons knew from the time they were little children what they wanted to do. They graduated from high school, took specific courses or applied for the exact job, and off they went. Others, more like my experience, ended up all over the map before they eventually found their way.

I urge you adults, especially parents: spend quality time with your children, get to know their temperament and giftedness, and prayerfully lead them in the way they should go. Their choices are ultimately up to them, but perhaps we can help them shorten the road to hearing God’s calling and finding their life’s path.

A Faithful Father

“Fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.”           —Isaiah 38:19b

As we draw near to Father’s Day, a few specific memories of my father stick in my mind’s eye. With a lifetime of experiences, three memories stand out: a fish story, high school football games, and my dad, the peacemaker.

I doubt if Dad took us fishing very often, but I remember long fishing days at Mahoning Lake in Armstrong County near Dayton. One particular time while we were doing our usual sucker and catfish fishing with worms, night crawlers, black braided line, and heavy sinkers, my dad caught the most marvelous different looking game fish we had ever seen, a walleye. My brothers and I had never before even heard of walleye let alone seen one. To this day, there resides in me a special desire and appreciation for walleye fishing.

My dad had a bad knee from his own football playing days and became overweight later in life so he didn’t really coach or play with us. But, as I played junior high and high school football, my dad was an ever-present fixture. Although he didn’t drive me to and from practices, (I often hitch-hiked home after practice) Dad had a permanent season ticket spot at the corner cone of the end zone or right beside the goalposts. He never missed a game.

Growing up in my very early years, my dad was the ultimate macho man to me. He was big, strong, deep-voiced, and a little scary at times. After my mother died and Dad remarried, we became a Brady bunch family before it became TV sitcom. My dad then became the peacemaker, trying everything in his power to make everyone get along. I remember him pleading for my sister to open her bedroom door after she slammed and locked it during a crying, drama-laden meltdown. I remember my dad’s sad eyes when I threatened to move to Grandma’s after feeling unjustly accused of some family shaming action. But, in the end, we all grew together, stuck together and are now raising children and grandchildren of our own.

Although my dad was not the spiritual giant I want to be and would want Christian men today to be, he definitely taught me by example the love and faithfulness of God, our Heavenly Father. When Jesus came to earth, one of His greatest messages was that God loves us and we can approach God as our Heavenly Father, even calling Him, Daddy. I never saw my father pray, but he faithfully saw to it that I was in church and was always there for me at every event and circumstance.

I know many folks today struggle trusting God as Father because their dads were not there. Some earthly dads have been abusive, absent, and embarrassing. God is a faithful God who loves us more than any earthly love. God, as our Heavenly Father, gives us an example how earthly parents are supposed to be. All the passages on love, faithfulness, and care describe God’s character as Father. If you have been neglected, abused, or abandoned by your earthly father, I am so sorry for you and pray that God will reveal Himself to you as a Father who loves, cares, and never abandons.

Men, fathers, if you are still breathing and your children are still alive, it is never too late to become the person and father God intends you to be. Call upon the Lord, ask God to forgive you of your failures, and pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you to show God’s care and faithfulness to your children. 

New Frontiers

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”                     —Matthew 28:19a

I know I am dating myself, but many of you will remember the opening lines to the weekly sci-fi program, Star Trek. “Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise
Its 5 year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

This past week, I witnessed a fellow earthling on his own trek into a new frontier. As I watched my grandson at the kindergarten through third grade track and field day, I got re-acquainted with a former ballplayer I coached in high school. He was watching his son, a first grader, on the athletic field, too. After getting caught up on recent histories, the discussion turned religious. He mentioned, or I suggested, the need to get one’s life right with God and find a church for him and his son. He commented that he wanted to find a church. He then asked a question that will haunt me for a long time, possibly the rest of my life.

My friend asked me, “What do you do? Are you allowed to just go to a church even if you are not a part of it?” I tried to hide my shock, delight, and disbelief and answered calmly, “Oh yea, you can find a church, check out the service times, drive right up, park in the parking lot, and go right in the door. There will probably be people inside the door waiting to greet you and show you around.” I assured him that they would be very happy that he came.

How many times have I urged our people to invite a friend or acquaintance to church? Why, we even have a column to check on our attendance pads, “I invited a FRAN to church.” FRAN is an acronym standing for Friend, Relative, Associate, and Neighbor. I now realize most unchurched people in America no longer have a Christian mindset and church skills. Visiting a church for many would be like exploring a strange new world.

In the great commission passage in Matthew 28, Jesus says, “Go and make disciples.” The burden of evangelism is on Christians to go rather than unbelievers to come. Maybe that is why Jesus spent so much of His ministry time with sinners and non-religious people. Jesus invested Himself in the lives of others to show them the way back to their Heavenly Father. We need to follow Jesus’ example. Visiting a church for the first time can be scary, perhaps even hostile territory, so if you wish to invite someone to church, why not start by inviting your friend over for a cookout or game night. Share the love of Jesus by sharing your life.

Many Christians today are rediscovering the power of home groups, small groups of Christians that meet in homes for prayer, study, and support. A next step in coming along side your friend might be to invite him to your small group.

Another approach would be to invite someone to church by offering to meet them at their house or in the church parking lot to show them the way. You would be surprised how scary visiting a church for the first time can be. One person I invited to church called me a day later to make an appointment to meet me at the church to learn where to park, which door to enter, and what to expect from this strange new world of Church. The new frontier for the average American may be attending church. For many American Christians the new frontier is going to a friend or neighbor and offering to be their guide in going where they have never gone before.