Surrendered or Loaned?

When each of my three children were born we dedicated them to the Lord. Actually we chose to dedicate them before they were born, but some time shortly after their birth we had a formal time of dedication. In the faith heritage in which both my wife and grew up it is the norm for parents to "dedicate" their children to the Lord. As a pastor I love baby dedications. I love the hope and potential represented in that moment. I love the mix of joy and fear on the faces and in the hearts of the parents during a dedication. I love holding the babies high over my head for everyone to see (I also kind of like the fear on the faces of some of the mothers in congregation when I do as well. Yes, I have some issues.) I love praying for the babies and parents. I love reminding the congregation that they are part of raising this child, by prayer and example.

I am aware that many parents have their children dedicated to the Lord but don't really dedicate their children to the Lord in that moment. They go through the ritual because they know they should and because their is some pressure to do so. In truth maybe most parents who have their children dedicated but don't really dedicate their children to the Lord.

There is a difference between having your children dedicated to the Lord and dedicating your children to the Lord. The difference is that in the former you are loaning your children to the Lord and in the latter you are surrendering them to the Lord. In the first one you want the Lord to do good things in the lives of your children. Keep them healthy, make them wealthy, etc... In the second you surrender them to the Lord for him to call and lead as he desires. In one you don't really take your hands off of them, but in surrender you hand them to Christ and give up control of them to the Lord.

It is easy to think of dedicating your children to the Lord when they are infants. To imagine God protecting them and caring for them. But the truth is that the act of dedication is supposed to be a surrender. A surrender to Christ for his will to be done in the lives of your children. They doesn't always mean protection, or good health and it certainly doesn't promise wealth. In fact, it likely means he will guide them into dangerous and difficult situations. It likely means their will be struggles and suffering. It literally means they are surrendered to Christ. This is something they must choose for themselves at some point, but in dedicating them to the Lord as children you are committing to raising them to follow Christ, his Word and his will.

Easy when you are holding them and they are dependent on you. More difficult when they give themselves to Christ, listen to his call and follow him wherever he leads. My act of dedicating my children to the Lord has been tested many times during their lifetime and I have never regretted surrendering them to Christ. I am now at another one of those heart in the throat moments of being reminded that they belong to him. My son and daughter-in-law have answered the call to full time missions and will be going to Kenya. This also means that 5 of my grandchildren will be nearly 8,000 miles away.

I am reminded that I didn't loan my kids to Christ, I gave them to him. I didn't have them dedicated, when I handed each of them to my father and said the words and prayed the prayers, I literally handed each of them to the Lord for his will not mine.

I am humbled, I am proud, I somewhat apprehensive and I am unbending that they are, and will be, right where they should be in Christ's hands and will, not mine.

Monday Musings ...

It has been a while since I posted anything. To the 7 people who check out this blog, sorry about that, it has been a very hectic couple of weeks.

Yesterday was a very good day, with some odd elements to it. My Sunday morning class was very good and we had some great discussion, but it was the smallest group we have had in a long time. In worship the music went well, even with some late adjustments that had to be made. I enjoyed the songs and especially the way my wife ministered as she sang a special. There was a pretty good spirit as I got up to preach and then it seemed to flatten out. From comments I have heard since the service people were listening and some were impacted through the message. But during the message I could get almost no read on whether people were even listening let alone being impacted through the Word. Some weeks are just that way, but I will never get used to them. We had decent attendance even though we actually had a little winter this weekend. Our small group Sunday night was great. Good discussion on our Bible study and great times of laughter and real fellowship.

Yesterday was the 5th in the series "Yes Lord ...". We were in Matthew 9:27-31; Ephesians 3:14-21 and Daniel 3. We looked at the need for us to be obedient to Christ. Obedience is a hallmark of one who follows Christ. Obedience is the evidence of faith. Satan does not mind if you believe in Christ, even the demons believe in God. Satan is concerned with whether you are obedient to Christ. Belief means little if it is not lived out. Obedience must be decided before the moment of action. If you are not putting obedience into action before the crisis, then you will likely default to safety and selfishness when the crisis comes.

The solution to our disobedience has many facets and they include our relationship with Christ. Without an intimate, growing relationship with Christ you will not choose to obey in a crisis. You must start in your daily choices. This establishes a pattern and determines if you will obey in the big moments. If you don't obey in the routine you are not likely to obey in a crisis. The solution involves our surrender to God's will. If you are still doing your own thing, the you will be obedient to this selfish pattern. You must surrender your will to God to be obedient to his will. Hudson Taylor said, "The real secret of an unsatisfied life lies too often in an unsurrendered will." Halfhearted obedience satisfies neither us, nor God. The solution means trusting God. You must believe that he has your best interests in mind. You must believe that he knows what is best for you. Trust him when you don't understand the next step he is asking you to take. You don't need to know the why in order to obey. You will never "drift" into obedience. Obedience requires a faithful choice. You need to act on your belief. If you don't act on your beliefs then what good are your beliefs? You need to say "Yes Lord ..." to whatever he is asking of you.

What is the evidence of your obedience? Are you being obedient daily? Are you living what you claim to believe? Thomas a Kampis said "Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws form grace."

Monday Musings ... on Tuesday

Once again I had a Monday slip by without posting my musings. Here goes on a Tuesday.

Sunday was a good day. We finally had enough snow to completely cover the grass. Winter has been different in our part of the world this year. We had some great discussion in my Sunday School class. Our small group on Sunday night was encouraging, fun and enlightening. I love that group of people.

Sunday was part 3 of the series "Yes Lord ...". We need to say Yes Lord regardless of the cost. The cost could safety. There are no guarantees with regard to physical safety. Look at Jesus. Look at the early disciples. Look at what is happening to followers of Christ today in many countries. Saying Yes Lord will cost you your convenience. This is a guarantee. If you are seeking a convenient faith, this is not it. Saying Yes Lord may cost you popularity. What matters more to you, being popular with the world or obedient to Christ? There can be many different cost to saying Yes Lord. So we need to say yes without even knowing the cost. You will not always know the cost of following Christ ahead of time. Can you do this?

The solution to our needing to say Yes Lord regardless of the cost is to kneel before the Father. In humility and recognizing who is in control. We are the servants, we are not the served. Too often we have gotten this one backwards in the American church. Part of the solution is to pray for strength. You are going to need it and your own strength will not be enough if you are really living in "Yes Lord ..." mode. The solution is to surrender yourself and your will. This might be the most difficult thing you will ever surrender. Have you given your will to Christ, or are you still trying to get him to do your will? The solution boils down to you saying yes to Christ, to his will and his way.

What has your answer been? What will you do from on? Is there something that is more than you are willing to give?

Our prayer needs to be "Father I am sick of living in between. Sick of being an up and down follower. I am weary of trying to do it on my own and in my own strength. I am tired of this mediocrity. I am sick of being halfway to where I ought to be in my relationship with you. I want to go further, I want to grow in intimacy with you. I want to quit struggling with small things. I want to quit holding onto things from the past. I want to live victorious and joyful."

Monday Musings ...

Yesterday was week 2 in our series "Yes Lord ..." We were still in Matthew 9:27-31 and Ephesians 3:14-21. Asking the questions "Who do you believe in? and What/who are you saying yes to?"

The need we examined was what Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. The need is for more power. There is a point in life where you realize you cannot do it in your own power alone. You need more power, not self acquired strength, but the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Another need is that we don't want to admit our need. Sometimes it is because of pride, or shame, or lack of knowledge, or poor examples or just feeling lost. Whatever the reasons, we don't like to admit our need. Another need we face is that of crisis. That point when you recognize your need, you realize your own inadequacy to meet the need and you are desperate for change.

The action needed is for you to humble yourself. Before God you kneel, either literally or figuratively to confess and request. A sign seen in a textile mill read, "When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman." A young woman was new on the job. Her thread became tangled and she thought, I'll just straighten this out myself." She tried, but the situation only worsened. Finally she called the foreman. "I did the best I could," she said. "No you didn't. To do the best, you should have called me." We often fail to humble ourselves and call on Christ. We are not doing our best when it is just in our own strength and wisdom. The action is we need to cry out to God. Pray. Pray. Pray some more. This is not a casual 'let's get it over with' prayer. This is the humbled, broken prayer of admitting your need and desire for God and his power. John Flavel said, "They that know God will be humble and they that know themselves cannot be proud."

The results are that we are dependent on God. We cry out for his power, his cleansing, his filling and his power. Then we obey and leave the circumstances up to him. The result is you will be changed. In your spirit, in your attitude, in your vision and in your living there will be changes. If there is no change then something is missing. There must be a change. If you claim you don't need to change or live any differently then why did you need to cry out to God in the first place? Too often we cry out to God and ask him to change things without being willing to be changed. The result is a life surrendered to Christ. This surrender is not to your own desires, not to what our cultures expects, or to anything else but it is being surrendered to Christ and his will.

What is your crisis? What are you crying out for? How are you now living?

Reflections on 2011 ...

some more good things from 2011:

We started small groups this year at church. The small group that my wife and I lead and host is a great group. They are all young adults and they put up with us. We have great times of study and discussion we also have great times of laughing and sharing while we eat together. We have between 10 and 22 attend. It is also cool to realize that all but a couple of them have begun attending in the 6 years we have been here.

Our oldest daughter was married this year. She is an wonderful follower of Christ and it was so great to watch her relationship with such a great guy. He loves the Lord. I know this because the first time we met him my wife said I have one question for you, "Do you love Jesus?". His answer was, and still is, yes. He is a great guy, my daughter really loves him and he loves her and treats her well. He is even learning to handle it when our whole clan gets together, which now that he has joined us is up to 15. The wedding was beautiful and fun, and the bride was even more beautiful. I have had the privilege to give away my two daughters to great young men, and to see my son marry a great young lady as well. I am a blessed man.

This year the Lord directed me in my study, and my preaching, to really focus on living out what I claim to believe. It has been some of the most challenging, and motivating, study and preaching I have ever done. There were many times that I was literally overwhelmed as I prepared to preach and a few times I was overwhelmed while trying to preach these messages. I am really excited by what God is leading me into this year.

This year something was added to my coaching volleyball. We had a team dinner nearly every week this season once we started playing real games. Sometimes we had a couple of them. Jody and I hosted most of them. Okay, Jody did most of the work but they were at our house so I figure I some credit, don't I? These turned out to be great times of bonding. Jody and I learned a lot listening to them tell stories on each other. I can honestly say that we love these girls. The dinners were actually the girl's idea, and it was a great one. Looking forward to do it again next season and even expanding it. In fact Jody and I miss them so much we are going to have a few dinners in the off season.

Jody and I were able to take a nearly 2 week vacation. A wonderful couple in our church allowed us to use their trailer. I helped him set it up at campground nearby. We had an awesome lot with plenty of shade that had a great view of the lake. We just 20 or 30 yards from the lake. We spent nearly the whole time reading, fishing, sleeping, occasionally playing card games or eating. We had several campfires at night. It was a wonderfully relaxing time and one of the highlights of the year.

We were able to have 4 of our grandkids for a week this summer. This was while their mom went to Ethiopia to bring back their newly adopted brother and their dad was working at a camp. Then we added the other 2 grandkids for 3 days. So for a few days we had 6 grandkids staying with us. It was great! They are, and were, great. I will admit we slept well the first couple of days after they went back to their parents, but we loved it.

What good things are you thankful for from 2011?

Monday Morning Musings ...

We had a very good day yesterday. We were back to full schedule and that added some energy to the building and the day. Had some good discussion in my Sunday School class and we had a great time in our small group last night. It had been 3 weeks since our small group met and it was great to be with them again, even though we were down in numbers, I love that group. Worship went well and I love the new song that was introduced and especially so because it matches the theme of the sermon series I began yesterday.

The new series is entitled "Yes Lord ..." The focus is on our belief and then living what we claim to believe in our everydays. The foundation scripture is Matthew 9:27-31 and Ephesians 3:14-21 and a bunch of others throughout the series. Augustine said, "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe." I love this explanation, or definition, of faith by Philip Yancey, "Believing in advance in something that will only seem logical when seen in reverse." Look at the picture in the passage of Matthew 9:27-31. Two blind men following Jesus, asking for mercy from him. They would have had to really work to follow him, after all they were blind. They plea to him was for mercy, they understood who he was and what mattered most. Then when Jesus confronted them about their belief in him and his abilities they answered "Yes Lord". (thus the title of the series, and you thought I was creative)

The need seemed obvious, they were blind. They had more needs than just the obvious, as do people today. Theirs was a lack of physical vision, they had the spiritual vision. Today most of us are the opposite of these two men. We often don't see... needs, hurts and potential. God will meet needs, heal hurts and he has great plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "...plans to give you hope and a future". What are you seeing around you? What are you seeing in you? What aren't we seeing?

The request was for mercy. The implication may have been for the physical healing, but they requested mercy. Mercy is much bigger than any one need. Mercy is much broader than a single area. Mercy is something we all need. What are you asking for? Our requests tell a lot about our priorities.

The question Jesus asked was not "what do you want me to do for you?" His question was, "Do you believe I am able?" So do you believe he is able? This a key question and the answer is even more important. How are you answering this question? Not just with your words, but how are you answering it as evidenced by how you are living?

Do you believe he is able to provide for the burdens you are carrying today? Yes Lord needs to be more than a slogan, it needs to be more than the words in a song, it needs to be how we live.

Reflections on 2011 ...

I began some reflections on 2011 a couple of days ago with some good things, so I will list some not so good things as well.


Not so good things:

I didn't lose the weight I hoped to in 2011.

I am grieving with several families who lost loved ones this past year. Especially the Haines/Summersett families in the loss of Nicki. A 29 year old wife and mother of 2 little ones. She was one of my youngest daughter's best friends when I pastored in their town. She was a strong believer and is rejoicing with Jesus now. However, the human grief is difficult.

The bulging discs in my back didn't get better this year. However, I am learning to live with them and determined not to let it impact me if I can help it.

Our church grew, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. I am speaking of spiritual growth and numerical growth. The spiritual growth can be difficult to measure but there are ways. Don't get me wrong there was growth in the spiritual area, I would just like to see a lot more tangible results from the growth. In fact is there much spiritual growth if there is no tangible evidence?

Our community is still grieving and in limbo over 3 young brothers who disappeared more than a year ago. Praying for answers.

Grieving over some marriages that ended this year. My heart aches for the couples and for the children involved.

There are more good things to reflect on and I will share some more in the coming days.