Icy Driving



Vermont Ice Storm 2013 
Photo by blog.heathertimagery.com

One of those rare occurrences happened last week; we had an ice storm.  Not just some ice on the windshield in the morning or a little glazing on the stairs.  This was an ICE STORM in capital letters.  We already had some snow on the ground, but when we woke up on Saturday we had about a half inch of ice on most everything.  Trees were bent over into our driveway, limbs were cracking under the weight, people in surrounding towns lost power due to ice on the power lines.  Accidents were happening on the roads.  A close friend and his wife were in a major car accident on Saturday morning when an SUV heading in the opposite direction lost control and hit them head on.  Praise the Lord, they walked away with bruising (although the wife found out several days later that she had actually broken a bone in her wrist).  The man in the SUV had to be cut out of his vehicle through the roof.

To make matters more interesting the forecast for Saturday afternoon and night, through Sunday noon was for more of the same.  Upon learning of our friends car accident and seeing the weather reports we immediately canceled church for the next day, December 22, despite the fact that we were supposed to have our Christmas Cantata.  The safety of our people was paramount and took precedence over any other concerns.

 

Snow, despite reports to the contrary from the south, is not very hard to drive on.  Ice while similar, on the other hand, is more treacherous than snow.  One wrong move on your part, or on "the other guys" part and you can end up in trouble.  It occurred to me that churches are much the same. 

Every church is moving in some direction.  The question is whether or not it is moving in the right direction.  Most of the time you are alright in directing a church, but sometimes it can be a bit icy under the surface.  Follow a few rules and you can avoid many common problems.

 

First, there is a tendency for both cars and churches to have a bit of inertia.  Apply brakes slowly to avoid sliding.  If you know there is a turn coming, start applying the brakes slowly. 

 

Second, every action should be thought out and considered.  No sudden moves or you could lose control.  Look ahead and see what the conditions and other company on the road is doing.

 

Third, turns themselves can be slippery.  Bridges between sections of road can be more hazardous than the surround road, too.  Pay attention in these areas.

 

Fourth, weather conditions around you can result in a change in road conditions.  A sudden snow squall can reduce forward visibility, or a temperature dip in a valley can change a wet road surface to black ice. 

 

Fifth, always prepare for the worst that can happen, then pray for the best.  Carry extra supplies in your car, a full gas tank, an ice scraper, a snow brush, shovel, extra windshield spray, cell phone charger, a blanket, hat, coat and gloves.   Maybe you will never have to use these things, but do you really want to be in a ditch in a snowstorm with no hat, gloves and coat?  If you make plans for the worst, then you can handle anything that comes along.  In a church, if the church board in a period of transition figuratively 'slides off the road', what is your back-up plan?

 

Any analogy can be carried too far, and this one has gone far enough for now.  Remember, a church can be like a heavy car in a snow storm.  Use caution, watch the road ahead and make changes slowly. 

"...guard what has been entrusted to your care."  1 Tim 6:20 (NIV)

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Apologetic Debates

Recently our church has been going through spiritual warfare of epic dimensions.  One of the issues that has come up has been a relative of one of our people who has come back from seminary in Texas, enthusiastic about planting a new church in our area.  Being a churchplanter at heart and in practice I applaud the effort to bring people to Christ.  The big issue for us is that he and his wife have been pressuring this couple from our church to be part of his new house church.  A churchplanting principle I learned long ago was that you never ask someone to be part of your work who is already going to another church without first passing it by their pastor.  Which brings up the second point...this newly minted pastor is associated with a denomination that regards pretty much any other denomination as being non-Christian.  If you do not do things the way they do, then you are not following Christ in the right way, and your faith is without effect.

Years ago I discovered that I liked the subject of apologetics, which is the art and science of defending your faith and theology.  I had many discussion with people which helped me learn about my own faith, helped me memorize scripture and gave me lots to think about.  It also gave me lots of heartburn!  After many years of ministry I have learned a few things which are not usually taught at seminary.  One of those is that apologetics is wonderful for helping you to define your faith, but it is generally not productive in changing people's minds.  It is not a "mind" thing anyway, it has to do more with your "heart", and God the Holy Spirit is the only one who can do that.  we take on the responsibility, but it is not ours to take on.  All we get is heartburn.

Does this mean that I think apologetics is fruitless?  No.  But I do think that we have to focus on things which really make us think about the important issues, not on the fine details and niceties of theology.  Over many years I have come to recognize that if you can repeat and believe the Apostle's Creed and the Nicean Creed, then I should accept you as a Christian brother or sister.  There may be other things you believe along with those that I do not, but that is something between you and God.  Your church can be fancy or plain, you can incorporate some ritual or other, you can pray standing or sitting or prostrate, but to me you are a brother or sister.  If you negate something in the Creeds, or redefine them from what the early Christians understood...then no matter how orthodox you sound you are not a Christian, period.

Along with that comes another understanding.  I may look at a person whom I regard as a brother or sister in the faith, and they may add some detail to the Creeds which makes them regard me as an unbeliever.  This is not an easy truth, but one which I have come to accept.  The fact that I believe in free will, that I believe in entire sanctification, that I don't believe that baptism is a ritual that completes salvation (rather than being symbolic), use a different translation of the Bible than they do or that I don't do communion on some set schedule may cause someone to reject my claim to Christianity and to call me a "false teacher".    My claim is based on the historical Creeds of the faith, nothing more or less, but someone else may not have come to the same conclusion I have.

All that said, I stand with the Apostle Paul when he says, "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." (Phil 1:15-18 NIV)  If Christ is being preached, then I am satisfied.

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I Am A Vermonter

I read a book a few years ago which stated quite emphatically that it was impossible to be a 'Mainer' unless you had not only been born in Maine, but that you could claim to have lived there all your life and have at least 3 generations of ancestors who had also been born in and lived in Maine.  Even so, the people along Rt. 1 in southern Maine were suspect, since they had been tainted by the proximity of New Hampshire and Massachusetts!

 

With the mobility of our society it has become harder and harder to find people who fit these qualifications anywhere, even here in Vermont.  There are a few people, don't get me wrong, but people move around all the time for the sake of school, jobs and relationships.  I myself have a hard time claiming any one place as having 'grown up there'.  An Air Force Brat, we lived in Maine, North Carolina, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  My dad retired to Massachusetts and that is where I graduated from High School, went to college and met my wife.  Both of my children were born there.  But to each of those places I was, as we say in Vermont, a 'foreigner'.  I always felt out of place.

 

So, what place can I claim affiliation with? New England, certainly. Except for four years in North Carolina...a little slice of Hades for me...I have lived somewhere in New England.   (New England for me, being a true Yankee, the western and southern edges are defined by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont!)  I have, however, found my true home in Vermont.  This is not a home defined by birth, since I was born in Maine.  I did not graduate from a High School in Vermont, nor did I go to college in Vermont.  From the first days we lived here my wife and I felt, somehow, that we had finally come home.

 

I do have one overriding claim to Vermont that people born and raised here may not have.  I CHOSE to live here.  I made a conscious decision to live here.  Even in the hard times...I have been laid off three times while living here...I did not move away.  I love the people here.  Not the 'foreigners' whose 'foreign-ness' is defined by the high-handed assumption of city-fied superiority and who would move away at the first chance for a warmer climate or a better job, but those people who have worked hard to stay here despite the challenges.  Many of those old-time Vermonters are being priced out of the housing market because  'out of staters' are driving prices up.  But still they stay and struggle on.

I love these people who know what a 'deer camp' is, and first day of deer season is practically a state holiday.  These are the same people who still speak in local metaphors which we the locals all understand but sound like gibberish to out-of-staters.  They have a huge sense of being very independent; Vermont was, along with Texas and Hawaii, an actual sovereign country before becoming a state.

Vermonters are those people who, like one of my brand-new neighbors in late 2000, stopped his pickup truck and pulled me and my UHaul trailer out of a ditch and refused to even talk about me giving him a twenty-dollar bill.  Why?  Because we were neighbors.  People like the guy who gave us a gallon of freshly boiled maple syrup, just 'because'.  Like my next-door neighbor who gave me his friendship from the very first day, and who I was honored to be asked to perform his funeral when he died of cancer.  People like the wonderful sixth-generation former dairy farmer in my church, who along with his wife would give you the shirt off his back if he could help you.  Or the 'new' Vermonter who along with his wife recently became American citizens, and came over with another friend  to help me cut down and limb several hazardous trees in my yard...and wouldn't even stay for lunch.  We all need more friends and neighbors like this.

 

Abraham was promised a land to be his, and Moses led his people to a land 'flowing with milk and honey'. 

 

So, I am a Vermonter.  This is my 'promised land'. I chose to live here.  And that makes all the difference.

“The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’"  Gen 24:7 (NIV)

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The Myth of Security

I have been quiet for some time now, but it is time to start commenting again.  As I write this particular entry we are in the height of leaf season in Northern Vermont. The temperature is starting to fall and we turned on the heat in my house last night.  The season is undeniably beginning to change.

The seasons are changing in other ways, too. Last Spring my secular workplace informed our entire office that we would be closing down and all operations would be moving to New Hampshire.  When the dust settled we found that half the staff was to be laid off, including myself.  For the third time in twelve years I was to be looking for a new job because of a layoff. 

When I began my adult working life I considered the possibility of being laid off to be remote.  Layoffs were something that happened in mismanaged large companies and I had no intention of going there. Then reality hit.  The first time I was laid off was when I was in college and working for the City of Lowell (Massachusetts) in the Library, due to Proposition 2½.  I was laid off one day, and picked up the next day on another budget line item.

So, what have I learned?  First, there is no such thing as ‘security’ in this world.  Everything is temporary, especially jobs, and especially when you are working for someone else.  You can mitigate the risk, but it never goes completely away.  Sooner or later you will likely face a job loss.  Second, God will take care of you.  Always. 

When I was laid off this last time I went back to my office and prayed.  I thought about where I was in life, what God had done in the past, and asked myself one crucial question, “Did God still want me to stay in Vermont?”  Strangely enough, the answer I received came out of silence.  God had previously called me to Vermont.  He had NOT told me that He was done with me here.  Therefore, I knew that God would provide me with work to enable me to stay here.  He did.  Within two months of my layoff date I had a job offer.  The work environment is ideal, the job is flexible, I ended up working for a Christian supervisor, my job has a certain prestige to it and I work in a fertile field. 

When you go through hard times, ask God what He wants you to do.  Ask first, not last, and listen to Him.  Sometimes the answer will come even through His silence!  And know that He will take care of you no matter the answer.

 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Phil 4:6 (NIV)

Times and Seasons

I wrote the following article as a devotional for a Mission Area meeting and thought I would post it as an entry in this blog. To be clear, I am removing some names from the post, and the reader should understand that every person sitting in this meeting is a Senior Pastor of a church in Northern Vermont, so the audience is a little 'different'. With that said, on with the show...

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Times and Seasons

There is a well-known song from about 1965, written by Pete Seeger and made a hit by “The Byrds”. The title is “Turn! Turn! Turn” It was adapted almost verbatim from the book of Ecclesiastes using the KJV. There was a little moving around of the text, but it is close to the original.

The text in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 from the NIV says…

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

It seems that we go through seasons in life. There are cycles and there are cycles within cycles.

In our own lives we go through seasons where everything seems to be going well, and then there are times when life just caves in around us. I don’t know about you but for my family we have had seasons when it seemed like everyone was walking up the aisle. There are other times when people are having babies. Then comes the times when we seem to be attending one graduation party after another. Those are happy times. We rejoice with our friends and relatives and life just seems good. The sky is blue and the weather is warm, the birds are singing and laughter is in the air.

Then we have those other times when we feel like we are walking down a dark hallway with no light at the end. People are sick and in the hospital. Every time the phone rings it is another person telling us about a doctor visit that ended with bad news. Someone has cancer; someone else has illness and tests but no definitive diagnosis. Someone has been the victim of a crime. Another has just filed for divorce. The unemployment is running out. A child is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Our prayers go up, but there seems to be no answer, and we don’t know what to tell people anymore. The old saying is that ‘the skies have turned to brass’.

There is a line from Mr. Tumnus in “The Chronicles of Narnia” which always resonated with me. “Always winter, but never Christmas”. That catches the mood of the season very well.

I know that we have probably all applied these thoughts to ourselves and to those around us. Maybe we have even preached using this text at a funeral or maybe on a happier note during a baby dedication. But have you ever thought of this text in connection with your church? Churches go through ‘seasons’, too. We learn in Bible school and seminary that churches have a ‘life cycle’. But like a wheel within a wheel, they also have seasons.

Maybe your church is going through a time of decline right now and you are wondering why. You do everything you can to improve morale and reach out to people and it seems like nothing is working. You take people out for coffee, you pray with your church board, you hold revivals with special guest speakers. And yet, the darkness and gloom cannot seem to lift.

Maybe it seems as if the church is growing…you feel inept and yet the church is growing by leaps and bounds even when it seems like you couldn’t boil water without burning it. You make every mistake in the book and still the good things just keep on happening.

I think maybe we need to think about what season the church might be in. What has been happening to her recently? Has the church been through a trauma and needs a season of healing? Has the church been in an autumn, where they have been surrounded by the golden leaves of the past and gotten used to looking back at the ‘good old days’? Or is the ice starting to melt, and you see green under the snow?

Just recently I saw a note from Pastor G that his church is starting to broadcast their worship services on local TV. The funny thing is we in St. Albans have been doing that same thing for several years now, but a few months ago decided we would stop. In thinking about it we realized that the season for doing that ministry had passed. For East Charleston it may be right and in season; for us the season has passed.

In his book “The Purpose Driven Church”, Rick Warren says something very significant. He says that as pastors we are like surfers, surfing the wave of the Holy Spirit. We can do great things on that wave. But we CANNOT MAKE THE WAVE. We have to find out where the Holy Spirit is, and then we need to cooperate with Him. Otherwise we are just paddling aimlessly and ineffectively. Last year my wife and I went to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. I took a surfing lesson at our hotel. During that lesson I learned some good things. One of them is that it is exhausting paddling a surfboard. Trying to do things without the power of the wave behind you will wear you out quickly.

Another thing I learned is that waves rarely come to shore in a straight line, they come in at an angle. The wave doesn’t hit along the shore at each point at the same time. That means that someone close to me in the water might catch a particular wave a few seconds ahead of me, or a few seconds after me. The same wave, but different timing.

The lesson for me is that while the Holy Spirit is doing one thing in St. Albans, He might be doing something different in Williston and another thing in Leicester and yet another in Johnson or East Charleston.

The key thing here, the main lesson, is to recognize the working of the Holy Spirit as He is working in your place, recognize what might be the ‘season’ for your church, and to place yourself in position so that He can use you. We do that through prayer. We do that through spiritual discernment. We do that through a spirit willing to submit to His will. Are you ready for that challenge?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”

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Did you forget?

Sometimes it is so easy to forget what we have right close to hand. Maybe being close makes you takes things for granted, maybe you get used to something and don’t even think about it. Like a New Yorker who has never bothered to visit the Statue of Liberty or a Bostonian who has never gone to see the USS Constitution. Sometimes maybe we are even intimidated by what other people think of what THEY have. I have a cousin who visited from Texas when he was about 12 years old. When we asked him what he thought about New England, he said (in that annoying way Texans can have), “I’m absolutely amazed…we drove across three states in one day. In Texas we couldn’t get from one end of the county to the other in one day!”

So when you start talking about things like National or State Parks, and how big they are or how many attractions are there, you might think of a place like Yellowstone, or the Great Smoky Mountains. HUGE places with large expanses of wilderness. Places that loom large in our minds.

This last week I spent some time in a place fairly close to us in Vermont, in upstate New York in the Adirondack Park. Small pickings compared to the western parks, right? You want the truth? The Adirondack Park is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark. It is larger in land area than the state of Vermont (9,400 sq-miles versus 9,250 sq-miles), covering 6.1 million acres. It is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined! There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers. Many areas within the park are devoid of settlements and distant from usable roads. The park includes over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails; these trails comprise the largest trail system in the nation. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Park)

Yes, sometimes it is easy to forget what you have when you are so close to it. Don’t we do that in our spiritual life, too? We forget who and what we are in Jesus Christ. We forget the Kingdom of Heaven is not just for when we die, but it lives within every believer! We have a vast power contained within us, with the Holy Spirit giving light and life. But we forget, and our light is hidden under a basket, so to speak. I am convinced that our quality of life is thereby infinitely diminished.

I went back to our family’s home-away-from-home this last week, Inlet, New York in the Adirondack Park, and re-discovered what I had lost. I found myself longing for the woods, the waterways and the life that is there. I even longed for the smell of the forest. And I find myself longing for the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. It is not far, it is close. But I have hidden it away.

It is time to find it again. Would you join me?

"As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ "
Matthew 10:6-8 (NIV)

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Ministry that is enjoyable?

Over the the length of my ministry I have found a curious phenomenon. If people mention the word 'ministry' they assume it is something more akin to 'work' and dour faces than to 'fun' or laughter. So if you are doing something 'fun', by definition it cannot be 'ministry'! Where did that come from? I thought at first it might be something in our Protestant DNA, like the Puritans or the Pilgrims, until I realized that it infects all faith traditions.

A few years ago I made several key decisions in my ministry. First, I decided that this attitude was ridiculous. The Gospels and Epistles are filled with examples of Jesus and his followers enjoying themselves while engaged in ministry. Sure, there were times when a job had to be done and it wasn't much fun, but there was always room for people to have a meal together, to laugh, to enjoy fellowship together. Therefore I decided to take every opportunity possible to make the work of the church 'fun'.

Another key decision I made was to avoid at all costs ministry that was done simply for the sake of doing something. The church has so many possibilities for ministry that it is simply not feasible for a small church to do everything. That just leads to burnout.

A third decision we made was that out of all of the possibilities for ministry we have, the ones that will actually be started (outside of things like Sunday morning worship) are the ones that someone feels a God-given burden for leading, other than someone in the pastoral staff. When the Men's Ministry started, it was because two men came to me and asked if they could do it. When the Ladies Craft Fellowship started it was because someone wanted to start it and was willing to take the lead. Friday afternoon Bible Study was started when someone decided that we needed it and they were willing to lead. The important point here is that our ministries are not just something the pastor is trying to push. If and when the pastor eventually leaves, the ministry will not perish. The ministries started become something living and organic within the church.

This weekend our Men's Ministry is hosting the "Northwest Vermont Blowgun Tournament". It has two purposes. One purpose is to do something that is going to reach out to people who otherwise would not darken the doors of the church. The second purpose is for us to have some FUN during the winter doldrums. Just think, if we get some of these people to come in and see that Christians can actually have fun like normal folk, then we might earn the right to talk to them about Jesus someday.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.'" Psalms 126:2


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The Coming Storm

There is a great deal of diversity within the Church, and even within our own little local Body of believers in St. Albans. There are people who believe in soul sleep, while others believe in 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. There are people who believe we should do communion every week, others think once a month or once a quarter is fine. Some believe in the possibility of Holy living here and now, others believe in strictly progressive sanctification. Some like choruses, some like hymns. In the larger Body it becomes even more diverse. Some believe that the Pope is God's Vicar on Earth, some don't. There are those who believe liturgy is the heart of worship and others who believe in freedom in worship. Some think that organ music is the only good music, while others think that rock bands are alright, and some who use no instruments at all. There is an immense diversity in the Christian experience in the world at large and even here in our own corner of Vermont.

It has always been my view and that of the churches I have served that we should take a "Kingdom Perspective". What that means is that our particular church and even our denomination is not for everyone. Some people may come in our doors, find the Lord and decide our church is not where they need to be. Maybe our organization, doctrines, focus and mission of the church or the worship style does not 'fit' with them. We will do our utmost to find a place where they DO fit in. Maybe they would be more at home in a Catholic church, maybe a Baptist or Assembly of God church, perhaps a larger local church like Essex Alliance. What really matters is that they are part of the Kingdom of God and going to a solid church.

Recently I have had my eyes opened to some interesting items that pertain to the 'End Times'. I have never been a student of the 'End Times', because I know God has it all in His hands. However, it has made me aware that there is a coming storm. Exactly when I don't know, nor do I want to know. But this one thing I do know. Not everyone is as "Kingdom" oriented as I am. There are many people out there who hold that their way is the only valid way of doing things, and no one else is right. This one is too liberal, that one uses the wrong translation of the Bible, the other one has the wrong structure and this one over here doesn't dunk enough times for the baptism to count.

My comment to this is very blunt and to the point. Get over it! When the storm comes it won't matter who is sitting next to you or what their faith tradition looks like, the storm will be hitting everyone equally. All the enemy will see is that you both call yourselves by the Name of Jesus the Christ, denying the rule of the beast (Rev 20:4) and you will likely both suffer the same fate, as martyrs.

Do I think the differences we have between us mean nothing? No, no mamby-pamby ecumenism here...that's not what I am saying at all. Our distinctiveness's are important, no doubt, and God has given us those distinctives for a reason. But I think we need to recognize we are brothers and sisters in Christ as long as we hold the same core beliefs that make us Christian; Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other such-like do not hold to this short list of core beliefs and are not Christian. We cannot ever join with them as spiritual brethren. But Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, AG, CMA, independents and all the other Christian denominations, we need to come together on the important matters and agree to disagree on the other "non-Salvation issue" items.

The storm is coming. We know that. We simply can't afford to be divided when it arrives.

"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" 1 Cor 1:10 (NIV)

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No Religion?

Living here in the North Country you hear lots of interesting comments. This area is part of what is known as the 'burned over' region, where religion in general has seen better days. According to a recent survey Vermont has the lowest per capita level of church involvement of all fifty states. Does that mean that people don't have spirituality as part of their lives? No, not really.

Churches in general here are small. Roman Catholic parishes can tend to be large, but in many cases their numbers are not very enlightening. People tend to be kept on the rolls long after they have ceased attending. The largest Protestant churches are two Alliance congregations running in the multiple hundreds, perhaps low thousands, but still small compared to churches in the Bible Belt. Most Protestant churches have some sort of process where if they haven't seen you in a few years, you'll be labeled as inactive. My own pragmatic cut-off is to regard anyone who has not attended church or mass in two years as an unchurched person, whether they are on a church roll book or not. If they have not been in a church for six months, I look at them as inactive members. All this assuming, of course, that they don't have a good reason for not going to church. Someone who is bedridden, in a nursing home, deployed in the military or similiar circumstances does have valid reasons for not going to church.

Vermonters are funny in regard to spiritual matters. On the one hand they are fiercely independent. They don't trust most authority figures including spiritual authorities. On the other hand, they want the comfort of community. They want structure, but not rules. They are willing to deal with diversity, but have little idea what others really believe and don't care to learn.

We knew someone a few years ago who moved back south after living in Vermont for a few years. They told us that they couldn't stand living here anymore, that Vermonters were cold and unwelcoming people. Our experience has been totally the opposite. We have found Vermonters, especially the old-time residents, to be very warm and hospitable. They are, however, upset about the fact that 'flatlanders' have come into the state in droves over the last 30 years and changed the character of the state so dramatically. They feel as though Vermont has been hijacked from under them. In many ways this is true.

So, how do you reach a people who have spiritual thoughts and inclinations, but don't want to think about them, who are upset about outsiders coming in and taking over, feel they belong to a spiritual fellowship when they haven't attended for 30 years or who want the comfort of community but don't want to join in any formal way? I am still struggling with this. I know that God has insight into all of this. I know, too, that His power is superior. I know He wants ALL to be saved. So I'll keep praying, keep talking to people as a friend rather than as an authority figure, and leave the rest up to His Holy Spirit. After all, this is His field of harvest, not mine, and His job to convict others (John 16), not mine.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)


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The Ravening Wolf

There are many times when I've been taken by surprise in Vermont. I've watched sunsets over Lake Champlain that took my breath away. I've seen wildlife in all it's natural splendor. Recently I was even surprised by nine inches of snow in my yard during a May snowstorm. But the one that took me by surprise on May 9 was not so welcome, the visit of a 'ravening wolf' to my church.

The Bible says in Matthew 7:15, "Watch out for false prophets. they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In this case, I had just started the sermon and a man walked into the church. He sat down and within 5 minutes raised his hand to ask a question. He claimed to be a person simply seeking answers, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father, born and raised in Palestine. An innocent sheep, seeking truth. Over the next three hours he showed his wolves teeth as he questioned everything about Christianity and asserted the authority of and supremacy of the Koran. A Muslim apologist in a Christian church in Northern Vermont? Yes, a surprise, but it should not have been. We, the church...and I, a pastor...have been complacent. Spiritual warfare is not something limited to Africa, the Middle East, the big cities of the United States...but is a reality even here in Vermont. We had that reality shoved in our face on May 9.

I found out more and more as the conversations continued. We finished the service, after requesting three times that "Abraham" hold his questions, and had communion. We offered communion to him and he refused. After the benediction I went to talk with him at the back of the sanctuary while others cleaned up. Several people had been in prayer. When my wife Debbie, who is also my co-pastor, returned we were still talking and continued on for a total of another two hours.

Someone asked me later why Abraham left his car running in the parking lot for the three hours he was in our church. I expect he was preparing for a quick getaway in case we called the police. I found out later after calling a fellow minister in St. Albans that "Abraham" was also known as 'Bruno", and he had been making it his business to go to the churches in the area. He had a restraining order filed against him at another church and had been removed from a few more. He had a temper, it seems.

I believe"Abraham" had three motives in coming to our church. First, he wanted to disrupt our worship. Second, he wanted to undermine the pastor in front of the congregation. And third, he wanted to convert or discourage as many people as possible. Quite frankly, he accomplished none of his goals. We have been praying for him since then, that the 'hound of Heaven' would chase him and give him no peace until he finds Christ as his saviour.

I believe the biggest surprise of that day was not mine, but his. You see, the wolf came and expected to find some tasty sheep, but instead found himself the guest of honor in a den of spiritual lions.


"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matt 5:43-48

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The View From Heaven

Well, it's been awhile since I wrote anything here and I thought it was about time to do so. I noted recently that the Barre Memorial Auditorium was hosting someone named Don Piper with a presentation called "90 Minutes In Heaven". I was pretty sure that I'd heard of it somewhere before, and figured it was some New Age guy who channeled Moses or something. I DID know that he wrote a book about it. Being a little proactive, I though someone might want my opinion on him, so I went to the local library and sure enough found his book. Let me say right now, boy, was I wrong!

Don Piper, as it turns out, is an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He had an experience in 1989 that changed his life; he died. On the way home from their annual state convention, Rev. Piper was hit by a tractor-trailer truck and was pronounced dead at the scene. He remained in his car while others were taken care of until another minister happened along. In the course of that minister praying for him (as it said, even the minister himself couldn't believe God was telling him...a good Baptist...to pray for a dead guy!), Rev. Piper was miraculously brought back to life after 90 minutes of being dead. The doctors simply had no explanation for what happened, his injuries were so severe. However, all of that is contained in only a very small portion of the book. The most important parts concern his recovery and subsequent ministry.

First, there is nothing I could find that is doctrinally incorrect. It adheres to the Bible.

Second, Rev. Piper is very honest in his assessment of his own reactions, questioning and search for purpose afterwards. His accounts of his recovery are heart-wrenching.

Third, he puts the focus where it needs to be, on the Glory and Majesty of God Almighty, and on the power of prayer.

In the very recent past our church has been called upon to pray for several people. The church has become a hub of prayer for our members, but these cases were something altogether on another level from our experience. They dealt with young people who were literally on their deathbeds. Within days of our prayers beginning for them, those same people were not only conscious and active, but either home or getting ready to go home! We had been party to some truly wonderful miracles.

It didn't end there, though. The Church itself has been infected with a knowledge that prayer does indeed work, and it is because we have a mighty God who cares for us personally, and to whom all the glory and honor should go.

Both Rev. Piper's book and our experiences with prayer have brought the church to a new level of understanding and power. In the words of the songwriter Aaron Shust...

"To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for you"

AMEN!

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Coy-dogs and other things that go bump in the night

The moon was full and the night was full of strangely moving shadows when a lone howl cut through the late night darkness. An answering cry was heard, closer this time. Shivers went up and down my spine as I wondered, was it a pair of vampires on the prowl, or perhaps a couple of werewolves out for a midnight snack? Nah, it was probably a coy-dog looking for mice and moles!

Lately I took some heat for posting a link to an article on Facebook entitled, “Top 20 Unfortunate Lessons Girls Learn From Twilight”, from the website “wired.com”. The article posed 20 different lessons that girls in particular take away from the Vampire and Werewolf thriller now in theaters. The arguments are totally non-religious, just basic psychology and sociology. In many cases they are simply common sense! The movie and books encourage the obsession many females have with the ‘bad boy’ and everything that goes along with it. Would you want your daughter lying to you, spending time with someone who engages in bad behavior that could hurt or kill them? It is amazing to me how many teen girls and even adult women are drooling over the hunks in these movies in an almost obscene manner. Most guys I have heard look at the phenomena with disdain and perhaps even a little jealousy.

I look at the 'Twilight' series and take note that nowadays vampires and werewolves are becoming more and more regarded as simply a fantasy subculture where there is good and evil, a microcosm of the human race. The evolution of this concept of a superhuman, supernatural subculture is fascinating. Viewed through the lens of Hollywood, the early films about vampires and werewolves regarded them as tortured beings, cursed and damned. They were evil, even if sometimes unwilling victims. 'Nosferatu' in 1923 showed an ugly and thoroughly detestable vampire. Lon Chaney was the epitome of evil when in his werewolf form, but as a human was an object of pity. Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi in 1931 was plain evil with no trace of good. As the mid-century approached the role changed. Frank Langella in 1979 changed the genre by portraying Dracula in a romantic light with his victim Lucy. The Anne Rice novels further evolved the character of the vampire, while films such as 'A Werewolf in London' changed the character of the changeling wolves. The 'Underworld' series of movies and brought together the two races in a different way. This culminates today in the 'Twilight' series of books and movies.

A couple things to keep in mind, here. Werewolves and vampires are two fantasy races of what were originally conceived as embodiments of demons and demonic forces, hunting humans as prey. They are fantasy creatures, not real. However, spiritual warfare is very real. Those forces who oppose God will try anything to keep our focus off our spiritual condition and off God. The progression here also indicates the increasing fascination with a culture of death, seen all around us and in many ways, but is maybe most easily seen in Hollywood productions. Not only this, but our distinct human tendency to reverse the order of things become plain. Simply put, what was once called evil is now called good. What was good is now evil.

It is a sign of the times, I guess. It has always happened, and frequently happens in sub-cycles, too. The question is, do we recognize it? Or do we pass it off as the ravings of a few conservative religious nuts who don’t like movies and fantasy (which, by the way, I love both)?

So, is this a real evil, like a vampire or werewolf, or simply a coy-dog howling in the night?

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God”. John 3:19-21 (NIV)

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New Beginnings

We received our first snowfall of the season last night, or should I say...our first measurable snowfall. Half an inch measured at Burlington International Airport. We actually tied the record for latest first measurable snowfall. The world looks white and sparkly, like we have a new beginning. I like it. Of course, by the end of February I won't be in such a good mood when we get snow, and if we get snow any time past March I definitely won't be happy. But for now, it's nice.

I've had another new beginning this last week. I've been getting a bit stressed out over some conversations I've had with a couple people. My father-in-law and I had a long talk about them, and he pointed out to me that I have been taking the Lord's tasks and making them my own. They are tasks that I, in fact, cannot handle. So I have given them back to Him. I have gone so far as to limit my contact with these people...they have my phone number, my email address and my physical address so contact has not been totally removed, but I am no longer 'friends' with them on Facebook and other venues.

As I have matured in the faith I find that I have a hard time dealing with certain types of people. Specifically, I have no problem at all dealing with your typical unsaved and secular person, nor do I have a problem dealing with people who take their Christian faith seriously. But I have a huge issue with people who claim to be Christian, but put the lie to that claim by their actions during the week. As it says in Revelation 3: 15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

So, a new beginning is at hand. I will not try to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit any more. I look forward to Advent and Christmas, and reclaim the joy that is mine in Him.

May the joy of His birth surround and permeate you today!

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Vacating

The air is starting to grow crisp and the leaves are beginning to turn into the red and gold’s of autumn. The Champlain Valley Exposition has come and gone. Whether we like it or not, fall is coming. The last two weeks were the only really decent weather we had this summer, with temperatures in the upper seventies, clear skies and a light breeze. If I closed my eyes I could smell the surf on Waikiki, but when I opened my eyes I saw maple trees instead of palm trees.

It occurred to me that this summer has been very busy and that we really didn’t get much time off. We either had church business to attend to, children to get back to school (regardless of the time off, four straight days driving is NOT vacation!) or other busy work. We took one weekend off in July to go to my in-laws in Maine, during which time it rained. This last weekend was the New England District Men’s Retreat, which I could not afford either in terms of time or money, so I was not able to attend. Consequently I feel somewhat starved for a true time of rest and relaxation.

What is a ‘vacation’ anyway? It is a time to ‘vacate’, in other words to ‘empty oneself’. You’ve gotten full and feel like drowning, and need to empty some of the cares and worries from your heart and mind. ‘Recreation’ is another word we use for this, meaning it is a time to ‘re-create’ oneself.

Sensing the lack, one of my prayer partners and I will be spending a couple days in October at an undisclosed rustic location in southern Vermont. We have no agenda; we will walk, talk, read the Bible, pray together and eat stuff we shouldn’t eat. We’ll catch up on family and mutual acquaintances. We’ll enjoy God’s creation out under the stars (weather permitting). We’ll take pictures and empty ourselves of our cares, so that when we return home we can perform our tasks with renewed passion and vigor.

Have you vacated and re-created lately?

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

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The eye of the beholder

I had a discussion a few days ago with someone about one of our local parks on the shore of Lake Champlain. It was stated that the beach was filthy, dirty and unhealthy, and the park itself was not suitable for families, especially with children. Having just talked with the park supervisor who stated that the beach is cleaned daily, the water quality is tested daily and was rated good at this time, and that there were two park employees on duty when we were going to be there I felt pretty comfortable with going there.

When we reached the park we found the picnic tables were clean, a fresh bag in the garbage can and no trash strewn around. There was some lakeweed along the shore, but it was an overcast day and we were concentrating on the barbecue, the volleyball game and bocci ball. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Looking around, my daughter made a comment to me about how clean everything was. She has just spent the last four years in the Chicago area at school, and she helped out with a children's ministry. Going to the cleanest of parks in the Kankakee, IL area, she said they always had to check the ground for smashed glass, the bathrooms for used syringes and were cautious around the water where literally anything might have been tossed in. She said that maybe the beach wasn't as clean as it could be by Vermont standards, but by Illinois standards it was a paradise!

It made me think about the fact that sometimes we are so conditioned by what we are used to that we have trouble seeing conditions for what they are. Like an artist who has to unlearn 'seeing' in order to draw....to learn to draw what IS rather than what the eye fills in. Or the person who is abused, but since that is all they know they think it is normal. God wants so much more for us than just what we are immersed in. His future for us is bright, shiny, clean and new every day. I thank God for the clean beaches of Vermont, and for the vision God has for us that lifts us beyond what we know.


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The Tower of Babel

In the book of Genesis 1 there is a story about how the people’s of the earth decided to get together and build a large tower to reach to the heavens. God knew their pride and folly and decided to confound them. Now He could have simply reached down and swatted them like flies, but He chose a more subtle approach…He made them unable to communicate with each other by giving them multiple languages to speak. As they grew frustrated they eventually wandered off in language groups to found their own nations and the Tower of Babel was forgotten.

In a Sunday sermon a few weeks ago I told the church that ‘we have lost it’. What is ‘it’ and who are ‘we’? ‘We’ are the church and “it’ is the ability to speak to the outside world. We have become so insulated in our own little cocoon that we have forgotten how to speak to the people around us. When we get together we have a special ‘church language’ we speak and everyone knows what we mean. Even more, when we present our (very valid) concerns to the people outside the walls of the church, we present them in the same way we might discuss things with someone inside the church, and the person doesn’t understand. A month or so ago in Vermont we urged our people to contact their representatives concerning the issue of same-sex or genderless marriage. When I called my representatives one of them asked me why I felt the way I did. I gave her three relevant and valid concerns she could evaluate and weigh, and in language she could understand. What I did NOT do was quote scripture to her and tell her I did not believe in genderless marriage because the Bible says it is wrong. That would have been correct, but she would not have cared for nor understood the arguments. She would simply have put me down as a religious crackpot.

I have related on this blog discussions with my doctor concerning my diet in relation to my colitis. I understand where he is coming from, what arguments he can accept and those he cannot accept. If I speak outside of those terms he will dismiss me out-of-hand. When I present an argument to him in favor of the SCD diet in terms he can relate to, citing formal studies supporting it, he is more understanding and receptive.

The whole point is this…no matter what the issue, we need to understand that speaking to an unbeliever as though they were a believer is pointless. Like Paul before the Areopagus in Acts 2, we present the argument in terms that our listener can understand. That means we must not only know the Scripture, but we must know the meaning behind it and be able to relate it to everyday life in the 21st Century in our cultural setting.

Yes, we’ve lost it. But we CAN find it again…indeed we MUST find our collective voices again, or face being marginalized.

1 Genesis 11:1-9
2 Acts 17:16-34

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The Sound of Snow

It sounds a bit strange to hear, especially if you are a southerner reading this (anyone south of Concord, NH!). But snow can have not only different looks and feels, but distinct sounds associated with it. As the snow falls when there is little or no wind there is a silence that falls over the world. It seems as if everything has gone still and into hiding. Even a passing car makes little noise. Talk between people is hushed. A scientist would say that this is because the falling snow absorbs sounds…as if you were trying to speak in a room surrounded by curtains and hung with laundry. Whether it has a simple explanation or not, I love the peaceful feeling the silence of the snow brings.

There is another sound the snow brings. As you walk across snow you can literally tell how cold it is by the sound. A soft, slurpy sound tells you that the temperature is near the freezing point of water, maybe even a little above. The snow has been partially melted and is that most terrible of mixtures known as slush. The danger with slush is manifold. It is the kind of snow most likely to cause heart attacks in the elderly when they try to shovel, since it is very heavy. It can quickly saturate your clothing, and cool your body, sending chills up and down your spine. If not dealt with quickly it can lead to hypothermia.

Another sound is when the snow falls and the temperature is a bit lower, often referred to as ‘crisp’. The whoosh of your boots through the snow tells you that it has just enough moisture in it to make a good snowman or a snowball, but not enough to instantly soak you. This is the snow kids love to play in.

And there is yet a third sound you may hear. When you walk across the snow you hear a distinct crunch and there is an edge to the air that takes your breath away. The temperature is low enough that there is no moisture left. Snowballs crumble, snowmen are an exercise in futility. Breathing is difficult and every exposed area turns red and numb in short order. When you hear the snow make this sound, there is danger afoot. Frostbite can strike the careless in minutes or even seconds.

In our Christian life there are instances where a single action in and of itself may lead to different results and consequences. The act of watching television, for instance, can be very uplifting and educational, or it can lead to potentially harmful actions, incline the mind to temptation or be sinful in and of itself. To tell someone watching television is always sinful is taking the easy way out. But to go the other way and discount its potential danger is foolhardy, like hiking up Mount Washington in September in a t-shirt and shorts. The same can be said for many things we encounter daily. Paul says, “…if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor 10:12-13 NIV)

Keep your eyes open, your mind sharp and your eyes fixed on Him and He will provide for you. And listen to the snow.

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Ride-Along

My son is a Criminal Justice major and when he returned home from college this last summer he had a chance to do a ‘ride-along’ in our local police department. He chose to ride on the late shift since that is where most of the action takes place. As he was heading down Rt 7 with the officer in a patrol car, the officer kept an eye on the radar display to see how fast the surrounding traffic was moving. As he approached one vehicle in the opposite lane, the display indicated that the driver was slowing down. As he passed the vehicle, the officer said, “Watch this”, and flipped a switch on the display. The display changed and went from indicating that there was no vehicle ahead in the opposite lane to displaying the now increasing speed of the car they had just passed. “He thinks since we passed him that I can’t see him, but there is a radar cone mounted in the rear of this patrol car, too!”

How often do we think that we need to behave ourselves when we think God is watching, but once we get out of His sight that we can go back to our old ways? Our actions day that as long as we don’t drink alcohol, smoke, swear, gamble, fornicate or do something else sinful while we are in church, we can go back to doing those things on Monday morning. We think God can’t see us because we are not in church. The fact is that this is hypocrisy. “Hypocrite” is a word finding its root in the Greek language and basically means “an actor”, someone who puts on a face for a time and pretends to be something he or she is not.

The real joke behind all of this is that the only person we are fooling is ourselves. Our families know what we are doing, our friends know, probably the people at church know, and God most certainly is not fooled. His sight does not end at the church door. Portraying God as a cosmic policeman just waiting for us to mess up so He can catch us is not a good image really. He loves us, and has paid the ultimate price to rescue us from that very sin that we keep committing when we think he is not watching. So, if He already knows what you are doing and has paid the price so we don’t have to, why not give it all back to Him and accept what He is offering? That is true honesty, and what He has been looking for all along.

Putting in our “two (per)cent’s worth”

It is September 11, 2008, now seven years since that fateful day in 2001. I can still remember exactly what I as doing as I watched the reports on television of the plane hitting the first tower and watching in disbelief as the second one hit. It seems that so many things happened and we said that the United States would never be the same. One thing that happened was that people suddenly became interested in world events and politics. People began to pay attention.

This last Tuesday was Primary Day in Vermont. There were four ballots this time….Republican, Democrat, Liberty Union and Green parties. I left work, went to the grocery store and headed home. My wife and I headed to the polls at 6pm; they were due to close at 7pm and we hoped we wouldn’t have to wait too long in line to vote. After all, a lot of people wait until after work to vote. We needn’t have worried.

When we walked in, we were greeted cheerily by the three poll workers. No one else was voting. As we turned in our three unused ballots and submitted our used one, the man at the ballot box told us that we were numbers sixty and sixty-one for the day. “Sixty and sixty-one? You’ve got to be kidding”, I said. “No”, he replied, “ you and your wife represent about two percent of the total vote for your precinct”. Doing the math, it actually comes out to slightly over three percent. Our precincts cover quite a bit of territory and there are only TWO polling places for our town and neighboring town precincts.

What happened to “we’ll never be the same again” after 9-11? I think people went back to the thought that their individual lives matter more than the impact that they might have voting. The life of the community is secondary. Maybe they feel that their vote doesn’t make a difference. It was disturbing too that the ballot we took had numerous spots where no one was running for office, and not a single office on the ballot was contested!

As a minister I cannot use my position to endorse a candidate or a party. But my faith and beliefs also tell me that voting is not simply a citizen’s right, but it their duty to vote. Our freedoms depend on people getting involved, perhaps especially as people of faith! I don’t care how you vote or who you vote for, but get out and get involved! You may not feel you have the time or knowledge to run for an office but your vote is needed. My wife and I represented over three percent of the vote from that precinct. Elections have been won or lost on less than that.

Don't just vote for who you think will win, simply to be on "the winning side", vote for who you believe is right. If appropriate, vote for a third party!

Another thing, when someone is elected, don’t simply criticize them. Pray for them and remember what we are told in Titus 1:1-2, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

We had a wakeup call in 2001. Let’s not waste it.

Letting it all hang out

I try to approach life with a little logic, a modicum of humor and a lot of faith, and try to keep the whining down to a dull roar. Sometimes, though, it gets to be a bit much. Vermont is a unique state in some ways, very conservative in some respects and very liberal in others which creates a bit of tension for all sides.


Coming in to work this morning I was behind a car which displayed a small decal in the window, advertising for all to see that the person driving (or perhaps the person owning) the vehicle is homosexual. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly care what this person’s sexual orientation is. He, and it was a male driver, could prefer sleeping with an anatomically correct stuffed animal for all I care. I really don’t want to know those details and I’m not sure why it needs to be displayed and broadcast to everyone on the road. I am not homosexual, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, metrosexual or any of the other variations people are constantly inventing and I do not advertise it one way or the other. Yet we hear from the spokespersons of these lifestyles who say they just want to be treated like everyone else. So then, why the need to advertise your sexual preference with window stickers, decals, bumper stickers and such? Wasn’t the point supposed to be that our sexuality is something private and nobody else’s business?


Maybe the heterosexual, married and faithful majority should come up with its own symbol and make its preferences known. Now, don’t treat me any different from anyone else. Hey, I’ve got the right to hang my preferences out for everyone to see, too…right? After all, it’s private.