A Cup of Water

‘Tis the season of giving, yet it is more often the season of getting.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

I am reflecting on Jesus’ words about offering a cup of water to his little ones.  Water is so easy to give when we have it available.  In fact, so easy that we don’t really think of offering it.  But in the time when Jesus wrote this and in places all around the world today, water is not so easy to come by.  1.1 Billion people in the world do not have access to clean water.

When I was in Rwanda a few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit one of the completed clean water wells that our church had the opportunity to fund.  It was amazing seeing the faces of the people as they came and pumped fresh, clean water into their jerrycans.  They described the dirty water that they used to gather to drink and wash from.

Today, I got an email from Mark Warren of Global Benefit who told me that Grace Capital Church’s funding has provided for the completion of  another new well in Rwanda.  This one provides water for 4000 people every day!  Jesus said a cup of water just to one of His little ones brings rewards, so I am looking forward to seeing God pour out blessings to our church- to people who give rather than just receive.

In the busy season of Christmas shopping, it’s time for all of us to reflect on those with far less than we have…people that will never have a fraction of the material wealth that we have.  But they can have water if you and I help give it to them.  After all, it’s what Jesus asked us to do.

-Peter

*Thanks to everyone at Grace Capital Church and Impact Youth for being so outward focused.  Your giving continues to bless thousands of people in the continent of Africa.  To date we have raised over $35,000 and completed two new wells in Rwanda as well as rehabbed 6 other wells in the Central African Republic and in Sierra Leone.

Why We Exist

I made a phone call the other day, kind of out of the blue.  Something in me wanted to call a man that I had spoken to in the past about some business.  As the conversation went on, I knew that the call was much more than business.  It was clear that he was struggling with some things and needed some prayer.  I’m always reluctant to ask someone if I can pray for them, especially if I’m unsure of how they’ll respond.  This was true in this case.   Although I’m a pastor, I’m not this man’s pastor and I’m not even certain that he goes to church.

How many times do we miss the opportunity to reach out with the love of God, so consumed with our own lives and our own plans that the people right in front of us is invisible?  I think this is so true of many of us in the church.  We look at the blessings of being a Christian without understanding that we are blessed to be a blessing.  It’s really why we exist as followers of Christ- why the church exits in the world.

Someone once said that the church is the only organization that exists for those who aren’t members of it.  I like that quote…but I need to live it out more.  To be outward focused instead of inward focused is more than a matter of self-discipline.  It takes a constant remembering of where we came from and how God brought others into our lives when we were not following Him.  It’s how God came to us in the form of another person- to bring life.

The Christmas story speaks to us about God being “incarnate” in Christ; meaning God became man in order to relate to us and reach us on our level.  “He came to his own, but his own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, he gave the right to become children of God-” (Jn 1:11-12)  Incarnation didn’t stop with Jesus.  The church and those who are members of it, need to continue the process of restoring the broken, completing the task of Jesus.  Until we return to this mission, we will just be living our faith for ourselves alone.  And eventually that becomes a real drag!

It’s so easy to focus inward and miss the bigger picture of the world around us.  Like a light that is under a bushel, it makes no difference, shines in a very limited space, and even has the potential for internal combustion causing pain and damage.  But when we are engaged with the community that God has called us to reach, light shines so that the world may see our good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.

I’ve missed it so many times, but I’m grateful I made that phone call the other day.  Even though I believed I was calling for one thing (something that was about me), I obeyed the Holy Spirit who loves to draw people to Jesus.  God offers us many opportunities, and this is the season for giving, so let’s be a “go church”- a people that look outward not inward. This is why we exist!  We’ll be talking more about it beginning this Sunday in our new series: Them.  http://www.gccnh.com

-Peter

No Wonder Why He Wept

I’ve been reading the prophet Jeremiah for several weeks now.  Honestly, I haven’t wanted to.  Who wants to hear of God’s disappointment and impending discipline on a people who should have known better?  But, I have learned a lot along the way.  Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, has been a good teacher.

I’ve learned that instead of going forward- toward God, we all have a tendency to go backward and follow the stubborn inclinations of our own heart.  I’ve learned that our own heart deceives us even though we think it’s so reliable.  I’ve learned that we are more prone to hear what we want, even when the words are opposed to God’s.  I’ve learned that we can stray if we don’t set up clear road signs and guide posts along the way.  And, most disturbingly, I’ve learned that God seems to have His limits.

Now, I know that the book of Jeremiah is written to a people who are brought into captivity because of their reckless and wayward ways.  That they have been warned time and time again to turn back to the truth and they persist on going their own way.  I also know that this is Old Testament, old covenant stuff.  Jesus hasn’t come yet and grace, although present, is not fully demonstrated through the cross.

How would you like to be the guy having to tell God’s people to straighten up, or else?  Jeremiah wept at the thought of God’s people being taken captive.  I’m sure he also had a difficult time reminding them that this wouldn’t be a quick fix, but would last seventy years.  No wonder why he wept.

Today, I am pondering what it is like having to encourage, warn and rebuke.  This is not just an Old Testament, old covenant, idea.  It says in 2 Timothy 4:2, Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. This is for today, under grace and in love.  Yet, it does make me weep.  Maybe I’m sad for myself, knowing that when I bring about words like this, I’m liable to be rejected just like Jeremiah was.  But, more than that, I am saddened by the response of His people that brush away the Word of the Lord to return to Him.

“Walk in obedience that it may go well with you,” Jeremiah said. “But they did not listen or pay attention, instead they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.  They went backward and not forward.”  I’m preaching a series called Follow…and I need to do just that.  But, I’m not alone and I’m calling others to come along- going forward and not backward.  It really does make more sense to follow Him!

-Peter

Human Disappointment and Rain

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain….” (James 5:17) Wow can I relate to this!  In Elijah’s case it had to do with God bringing both blessing and punishment on Israel for their wacky ways under the leadership of King Ahab.  For me, it has to do with “enough rain already!”  Like Elijah, I know the human frailties of my personality, the bouts of feeling down when the clouds are gray, and the desperation of “God, where are you!”

Last week my wife’s family all came out to New England to spend a wonderful week on a lake in Maine.  And, needless to say, we had these expectations of sunny skies and warm weather.  Instead, we got rain nearly every day and cold temps.  My humanness was very disappointed.  I had expectations and God didn’t deliver on them.  Considering this was the first time that the entire family came from the Midwest to spend a well planned out week- a family reunion…couldn’t God stop the rain and send the sun?  What’s up with that?  After all I do for God as a pastor and as a faithful follower, shouldn’t it just work out the way my wife and I want it to?  [Oh, by the way, to make matters seem a little more discouraging, I ended up in the ER with a Kidney stone midweek.  Fun, huh?]

Actually, realistically, looking back- it was one of the best weeks we have had in a long time.  We still enjoyed the lake, the beautiful lake homes we had rented, and mos of all- we enjoyed one another.  It was a blessing to be together and talk and eat and pray together.  The kids and adults hung out and played and rested and laughed.  There was one very special night when we gathered together to talk about mom, who went to be with the Lord about a year ago.  I have a feeling that she made sure we spent lots of time together last week.  It was what she loved.

We made memories- great memories.  The rain could not damper the love that was in that place all week.

Lots of times when people refer to this Scripture in James 5, they take it from the perspective that even though we are only human, we have this incredible authority to use the name of Jesus to get whatever we want.  “We can pray that the rain stops, and it will,”  is the thought.  Maybe not.  Maybe the real point is that like Elijah, we are human beings who serve a God that knows exactly what it is we really need.  They needed famine back then, because God had to get their attention.  Even Elijah needed the course correction of God out on the mountain when He met with him.

Last week, our family needed each other- rain or shine.  And thank God we received this blessing from Him.

Clear Thinking

We are about to break new ground.  This evening, in fact, the church that I am honored to pastor will embark on a new journey building a youth center to be a blessing to the community.  We’ve never been a people to hold tightly to buildings or facilities, but we do have a responsibility to say yes to God, even in the everyday material things of life.

Proverbs 4:18 says that the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining brighter and brighter till the full light of day. In other words, the more you walk it- the more clear it will become.  Several months ago our plans and our budget for this facility were bigger.  As we walked it out, sought godly counsel, prayed together and planned together- God scaled us back.  [Even when God turns our corners and readjusts our original thinking, we must say yes to Him!]

Vision must be progressive, not stagnant, otherwise we become stubborn and resistant to change.  This is not only true in the scaling back of our building design…but it is even more true in the re-adjusting and tweaking that the Lord does in us.  I can’t tell you how many times the direction that I was going, which was clearly given by the Lord, changed.  It’s as though God Himself changed his mind about things.  I think He should have that perogative, considering He knows the beginning from the end.  That’s a concept that we aren’t too comfortable with, but if we were to think about it honestly, He’s probably not so much changing His mind as changing His timing and ufolding things in a fuller dimension.

I just got back from Rwanda.  The time frame and schedule in Africa is quite different from what I am used to.  Hakuna Matata is not just a Disney song from The Lion King, but a Swahli expression meaning “no worries.”  It’s also a way of life for folks in Rwanda.  We worry because our plans are laid out and ready to execute.  They don’t worry because they have accepted the fact that plans, in and of themselves, are not the thing.  African people find it much easier to walk the path of each day, believing that the plan will reveal itself as it goes on.

Clear thinking is the result of waiting and trusting and obeying- even when obedience means uncertainty and change.  After all, it’s not just about me, but about what God wants to do in and through me.  I’m excited to see what’s around the bend.

Faces Like Flint

There is saying that is not used that much anymore, but perhaps it should be.  “Keep your chin up!”  I don’t know if it’s old fashioned or if it just seems impossible in the face of life’s challenges, and so we just don’t say it anymore.  I like it better than “hang in there” because that sounds kind of desperate- like your barely hanging on and hoping that somehow you don’t let go and end up at the bottom of a canyon somewhere.

There’s also a statement that the prophet Isaiah made thousands of years ago that resembles this encouraging word that we rarely use today.  After realizing that the Lord’s call is upon him, not only to follow God but to be used as a source of encouragement to the people, he reflects on how to sustain himself.  He says,

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.

I have set my face like flint. That’s even less likely of a saying to be used today than “keep your chin up,” but it basically means the same thing.  Isaiah was saying that he wouldn’t be moved or discouraged or become weary with the way things were going, the way people may have treated him, or even with his calling.  Do I set my face like flint?  Am I able to have the kind of resolve that is hopeful even when things seem kind of hopeless.

This really speaks to those of us that are not only trying to keep our own chins up but are trying to encourage others to do the same.   It’s the very context of Isaiah’s words that have profound meaning.  You see, he’s been commissioned by God to speak words to “sustain the weary.”  It can truly become wearisome if the ones we are trying to bring hope to just don’t want it.  And yet, we can’t stop.  We have to set our faces like flint and be an encourager no matter what.

I feel compelled to do that for anyone who is reading this.  Stay strong!  Don’t give up! Keep your chin up! Look right into the storm and set your face like flint! It won’t be long until you see the answer to your prayer come to pass and it can be as soon as this moment when you sense the hope of God even during the waiting.

-peter

In The Waiting Room

Depending on where you are in life, waiting is either an inconvenience or an annoyance.  To me, it’s mostly a waste of time.  I was reading somewhere about how many hours and days and months we wait in lines or are on hold on phone calls.  A few weeks ago, we went to a theme park and I think our kids were permanently cured of wanting to go back- the lines were terrible.  90 minutes for a 60 second ride.  If you put that in dollars it would be like paying $90,000 for something worth $1,000.  What a waste!

Yet, all of us know that there are some things that are really worth waiting for.  Our three children are perfect examples.  In addition to the time leading up to their conception, they had another nine months in the womb and then labor.  We waited and it was well worth it!  Some of you ladies out there may question the waiting involved in the labor pains, but I hear that moms usually forget the pain enough to have more children.  So, if this is true, the waiting and the pain were both worth it.

One of the things that I have been thinking a lot about lately is how God tells us to wait.  Through the prophet Isaiah, He says that when we “wait upon the Lord, we renew our strength.”  I think many of us don’t know how to do this.  There’s no ticket line or hold button with God.  It’s not like someone is on a recording saying “your wait time will be between five and ten minutes.”  I’d like that if there were!  Instead, we are encourage to wait and be renewed with His strength.  It’s in the waiting that there is renewal- not in the fulfillment of the waiting.

Jesus told his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come to them.  This was as He was making his great departure after the resurrection.  He gave them instructions to go into an upper room- a waiting room- and wait.  What must that have been like?  I’m sure they thought, “for how long?”  and “how will we know when it’s time?”   Whatever they thought, they obeyed- they waited and the Holy Spirit showed up in a way that was undeniable.  Each of them recieved a touch of God that they had never expereinced before for this was a personal meeting and filling of God’s spirit into them.  The waiting paid off because God never disappoints.

I wonder if we are more willing to wait for a table at a restaruant than we are willing to wait for God’s Spirit to show up?  Could it be that we get less antsy in a waiting room where our car is being fixed (which is exactly where I am as I write these words on my laptop) than when being still and silent before God?  I need to get better at waiting upon the Lord and waiting in His waiting room.

In this season of difficulty and uncertainty in our nation, followers of Christ can truly become a light to the world by learning the secret of waiting with faith and hope and patience.  This kind of waiting brings no sorrow to it and never disappoints us.  Come Holy Spirit!

-peter

Ask, Seek, Knock

What does it mean that most people say they pray?  Do they whisper thoughts to the Lord throughout the day, or do they actually set aside time to hear from Him.  Prayer must include both seeking and finding- it cannot be a one sided conversation.  How often do you pray?  (take the survey below)

I knew someone who could talk for an hour straight and not let you get a word in edgewise.  They were really sweet as a person, but not a good conversation at all.  Often I found myself trying to jump in and make a comment only to be cut off by their ongoing verbiage.  I never want to be like that with others, but I really have been like that with God on many occasions.  Haven’t you?

You know- it’s like we have our list, our one-sided desire list and we send it to God like kids do their Christmas lists to Santa.  I don’t think God has this growing frustration with us if we don’t stop and listen, it’s just that we miss out on what He desires for us.  I think He waits for us to settle down and stop talking long enough to listen.

It says in Revelation that He stands at the door and knocks, if anyone will hear His voice and open the door then He will come in.  So, it makes sense that he’s waiting for us to respond to His voice…and that starts with hearing it first.

So, the next time you hear someone tell you that they “pray everyday” ask them what it means.  Do they hear God speak everyday through His Word?  Do they spew out their list or get in His presence to hear Him.  I’m wanting to hear Him more because I know that as I do the questions and requests and desires I have will either lessen or become less important.

-Peter

Reflect

Today I was reading from the book of Luke and was reminded of what it must have been like when Jesus said goodbye to his friends and disciples.  It wasn’t a time that he packed his bags and found a new job in a new city, but a time when life was literally cut short.  Voluntarily, Jesus went to the cross- but that didn’t make it any easier.

There is a particular passage that I caught for perhaps the first time.  It’s when the women are weeping as Jesus passes them by on the way to Calvary.  He looks at them and, with a word of both comfort and challenge, tells them that they should be weeping for the generations to come. It’s as though He is saying, you think it’s bad right now?  There will be a day when the tree (the cross) is not green, but brown- and on that day things will even be worse.

As I have been reflecting on this past year, I can’t help but to notice how things have gone from bad to worse in our country.  Of course, the obvious place to look is the economy, the infighting politically, wartime, and family turmoil.  But that’s not what I mean.  People have become more and more oblivious to the love and grace of God.  They have managed so well at avoiding the most obvious source of all that is good- Jesus himself.

As I reflect, I also think of the church that, in many ways, has become just as oblivious.  We sit around weeping for ourselves, while the world around us has no one to intercede for them.  It’s much easier for us to judge them and live our own “blessed” lives.  At least it has been…but maybe not so much anymore.  In fact, the stuff that is is affecting all of us on the outside may be just the thing we need to shake us up on the inside.

As I reflect, I think of Jesus passing us by as we’re weeping for ourselves, our financial issues and things not going as we wanted them to go.  Maybe we are weeping because we are afraid of what this means for us.  And then Jesus passes by and says- don’t just weep for Me, and don’t just weep for you- but weep and intercede and care for those who have no concept.

As I reflect, I want to go into 2009 with an attitude of intercession, love and hope.  As the government is creating bail-out plans, let’s remember that the greatest bail out ever took place on a cross and that the way is open to anyone who would say yes.  Reflect with me.

-peter

Widows and Wells

Today was an incredible day in Rwanda.

We started out by going to a remote village to visit a woman with several children who Richard and Robin have “adopted” by providing food and resources for.  Mother Theresa once said something like this: you can’t feed the whole world, but you can help to feed one.  As we arrived at her home, she and her two little ones welcomed us with open arms.  We were pleased to see that the seven chickens that TentMakers (Smyths) bought for her were healthy and growing- these are chickens that she is raising and then selling for an income to provide for her family.  We had a wonderful time visiting and then praying for this family.  While we were at this home, many of the other team members were visiting with other widows and orphans- many a result of the genocide years ago.

Later in the day, several of us drove out to the small village where Grace Capital Church, Global Benefit and several others raised funds to dig our first clean water well.  The children were gathered around as must be there regular habit of fetching water for the family.  Before this well was there, they would scoop water from a dirty ravine or have to buy water at another larger village.  Now they have all they want to drink, to wash, or even to play in- living water!

To see this well and the water pumping out of it firsthand made me teary eyed.  Something so simple that we take for granted.  It is a source of life and health.  I arrived feeling so proud of those of you who gave to make this possible.  And now our second well is about to be dug!  I’m looking forward to many more, for each one represents a sacrifice of our resources to touch the lives of others.

Our team is not yet ready to go home…in fact I don’t think they ever will be (ready) as they are talking about their return trip with other friends and family members.  Maybe you’ll be next!

Peter