Patient, not Passive

I heard the following piece of advice while watching one of my daughter's tennis lessons.  The coach told her that being patient on the court is not the same thing as being passive about her gameplay.  In other words, trying to "kill" the ball when returning a hit so that you can grab a point as quickly as possible isn't always the best strategy.  There are other ways to go about winning the game.  He recommended that she continue to employ patience, and wait for the right shot at the right time.  This will win the day in the long run over time.  

This isn't always the easy thing to do mind you.  A player can feel any number of emotions once the match or tournament begins.  In fact, this piece of advice works for just about any sport I can think of.  In baseball for example, we wait for the perfect pitch to cross the plate in the strike zone.  In football, the quarterback waits for an open receiver.  You get the idea.  We take a moment to focus our mind and body, wait for the opportunity, and only then make a  move.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 says, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.  Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."   

We see the opposite strategy being employed all around us - there are many who end up in the lap of fools.  The squeaky wheel gets a cleaning, right?  The idea here is that you must speak up and complain in order to be heard.  Talk loud, move fast, and then get what you want.  But what if we actually stepped back long enough to apply some oil and fix the squeak itself?  

If you pay close attention to a good tennis match, most of the time you can see that the instant a player becomes angry or frustrated (becoming provoked in their spirit), they often start losing.  If a positive end result is ninety percent a mental state of being, then Scripture is correct in cautioning us to keep a cool head.  Look toward the end of the game, don't just focus on hitting the ball as hard as you can.

I will never forget a particular transition of power that took place years ago at one of my churches.  We had a brand new pastor, and the entire congregation was excited.  It isn't difficult to embrace something new and interesting generally speaking, and the same thing happens in churches.  New management always carries with it the potential for new hope.  

As luck would have it though, this particular person began making sweeping changes almost immediately.  He was trying to swing away with the racket and kill the ball the moment the match began.  He advocated switching meeting venues, cancelling certain ministries, and even changing the church name.  Decisive change isn't always a bad thing, but there was one particular ministry he shut down that will always haunt me.  It was a healing ministry designed for women, and it had been running for almost ten years.  In addition, the person leading the ministry was just recently widowed.  That ministry had become a way for her to cling to something familiar in a time of great struggle.  She was able to connect with the familiar. 

How different that would have gone I think, had the new pastor stepped back a bit and surveyed the entire playing field before making a move.  How different things would have been had he waited for the right time, and the right shot.  Easy for me to judge in hindsight I know - ministry is a hard job.  But I will forever hold this event as an example of zeal not according to wisdom.  If I remember correctly, the leader and everyone else in that group left the church shortly thereafter.  

I think that the lesson we can take from Ecclesiastes 7 is that we can wait on God.  Wait for what He might be trying to tell or teach us, both through the Scriptures and in the Spirit.  It isn't passivity to step back a bit and prayerfully wait sometimes.  

1 Chronicles 16:11 further says, "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."  When we are looking for God's hand, it means we want something specifically from Him.  We are asking Him to do something for us.  But when we seek His face, it is a completely different experience.  This means we just want to be known to Him, and for Him to know us.  To have a connection such that we might understand what He wants from us.  It is this second meaning that applies here I think.  1 Chronicles 16 in this regard, is talking about giving God an audience first - before we seek counsel from other people.  This isn't being passive either; it is simply being wise.  

It isn't difficult to recognize the 'squeaky wheel' concept in our culture today.  Simply turn on the television or go on your computer.  You will hear opinions that may feed the need for immediate gratification or political correctness.  And incidentally, much of it runs contrary to the Bible as well (especially when it comes to hot button political issues).  So step back, just wait for the right shot to come into view.  There is no need to run all over the court trying to kill the ball.

I think that we end up with the following process: listen for God first, discern what He is telling you by reading Scripture and seeking Godly counsel, then finally ... obey His commands.  Rushing in full of pride or anger rarely succeeds in the long run.  This behavior does make an impact on those around you, but usually not a good one.  Instead be patient with God, and He will do the same with you.

.

 

God's Kinetic Chain

There is a concept in the sport of tennis called the kinetic chain.   It may very well exist in other sports also, but I learned it while listening to my daughter's tennis coach.  He said that in order to properly engage in a volley or serve the ball, everything must start with an efficient motion.  This first motion must then flow seamlessly into the next one, kicking off a chain of events that ultimately leads to a successful execution of the technique.  Remember that kinetic energy is energy in motion, and in order to perform this chain of events properly, none of the individual steps can occur out of sequence.  When done correctly, it is quite a sight to see.  

If you watch just about any professional athlete, you will see this concept at play.  The way Peyton Manning throws a football for example, or the way Michael Phelps swims across an Olympic sized pool.  Every movement is technically sound.  There is no breakdown anywhere in the kinetic chain.  Near perfect technique leading to the desired end result.  

I believe that the art of meeting and interacting with God has it's own kinetic chain.  Each step of getting to know Him better flows into the next step, until we can look back at our life at some point and connect all the dots.  We can trace back the beginning, middle, and end.  And we can also look to see at what point our technique may have been flawed, or where our kinetic chain broke down from time to time.

I want to carry this idea forward by suggesting that God's kinetic chain consists of four parts - each flowing into the next.  We can begin by stating the fact that God pursues us, then we worship Him, our faith next will mature, and finally we can pass along what we learn to others.  It is this chain of events over the course of a lifetime that can literally change the world.  Let's look at each step in a little more detail below.

If we are being honest, I think that we have to admit that most of us didn't begin by looking for God.  Quite the contrary, He had to come find us.  He had to do something to shake us out of our comfort zone, or remind us that He is still in charge.  Take the Israelites for example.  The Lord spent about 1,500 years driving home the idea that human beings need to repent and follow His commands.  The story of the Old Testament is really one of rebellion, repentance, and then restoration (over and over again).  But God had to make himself known to us through His prophets and His Spirit first.  We would be lost without that first step.  

The second step in this kinetic chain is that we begin to feel a need to worship God.  He has pursued us and made Himself known, and now our logical reaction to this fact should be to fall on our knees and worship Him in praise and gratitude.  Gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins, as well as the fact that we are created in the likeness of His image.  Both of these things are gifts that were given to mankind out of an abundance of love and mercy.  God didn't owe us this, but He did it anyway.

The third step is a result of this worship and adoration - namely, that our faith must naturally begin to mature and grow.  As we follow God and study His ways over time, it is no surprise that the student begins to emulate his/her master.  He begins to change our trajectory from selfish and sinful to service oriented and sanctified.  You don't meet the living God and walk away unchanged, it just doesn't work that way.  

Finally, God brings us to a point in our faith walk where we are ready to help other people.  This might mean sharing the Gospel message through evangelism, or it might mean we become teachers or mentors.  Whatever the case may be, He takes us out of our comfort zone and into the spiritual battleground.  We have come off the bench and are now in the game.  And this is also a good place to pause and take stock of our own lives as well.  Are we working for Him, or are we just going through life worrying about ourselves and our own desires?  If we aren't doing anything at all for God or the church, then it's time to step back and recalibrate.  Something is missing.  

You may notice something else at this point.  You may be asking yourself, "what about all of the lukewarm living going on in America today?"  Remember the term lukewarm simply means that your faith isn't producing the fruit of the spirit.  You don't take God seriously, and there is no commitment to be faithful to the Gospel or to repent from sin.  There are thousands of people stuck in this boat.  They may even attend church regularly, but the truth of the Bible never took hold.  From the outside looking in, their lives resemble everyone else's.  There is no way to really tell if God has changed their hearts.

Lukewarm people interrupt the kinetic chain early on.  They never move past generalized corporate worship and on to becoming a mature Christian.  It's like skipping every tennis practice, and then showing up at the meet and expecting to win a match.  Instead, you will be more likely to end up chasing tennis balls around the court after swinging wildly and missing with the racket.  Quite honestly, this watered down version of the faith isn't worth passing along to other people anyway.  The chain breaks down here for good reason, and the technique cannot be executed properly.  

There is good news of course.  God has promised to guide our process of engaging in the kinetic chain.  He has promised to help us when needed, and edify us when called for.  If we repent of sin and come to Him with a genuine heart, I don't think there is any reason to fear the lukewarm predicament.  Isaiah 48:17 says, "This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs your steps in the way you should go.'"

Further in Isaiah, chapter 58 and verse 11 says, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fail."  

God will guide, protect, and help teach us how to mature in our faith.  Much like the sport of tennis, God's chain of events takes practice to do well.  On any given week we can attend church, go to small groups, and read the Bible.  Stay in prayer on a regular basis, and don't give up trying to live out your faith.  You may give up on God from time to time, but He will not give up on you - no matter the cost.  He will make you an experienced tennis player if you let Him.  

.

 

 

Easter Sunday Sermon

I gave the following sermon message for Easter Sunday yesterday.  It is entitled "The Reality of the Resurrection."  Easter is nothing less than the linchpin to the Christian faith.  Everything else hinges on the truth that He is risen.  Click on the video below to listen.  Hope you enjoy it!

.

I KNEW YOU FIRST (poem for a graduate)

I knew you first

Before the rest of the world

From the very beginning

An old soul, with a young heart

I knew you first

Before your teachers and mentors

Before you crossed the street to go to school

Looking to me for guidance, to feel secure

I knew you first

That time you tried some ice cream

The time you skinned your knee

Trusting that your parents would be there

I knew you first

From the time we moved away

Until the time you graduated 

Awkwardly strong, always independent

I knew you first

Before you took your driver's permit test

And later, when you drove too fast around that bend

Everything turned out fine, everything often does

I knew you first

When you started going on dates

And we stayed up waiting late at night

Occasionally, you came home early

I knew you first

Before you walked across a stage

With your graduation cap and gown

Fierce and confident 

Watch out world, for my daughter has arrived

Small but powerful

Like a confidant fish in a vibrant pond

Someone ready to engage this life

I knew you first

So remember us when you have flown

Because we will remember you

You are in our minds, you are part of our soul

The world will bend to you, if you require it

But just remember, I knew you before they did

.