The scripture we read during Mr. Overaggressive Church Softball Player was from Luke about Peter cutting off the high preist's guard's ear and how maybe that kind of action is not appropriate in Jesus' eyes. But I want to use this Blog for another scripture passage, John 6:16-21...Jesus and Peter walking on water.
I was approached by a church member after this week's sermon who didn't think I was giving Peter enough credit (which I disagree with, but the focus was Peter's faults so I'll give it to him), and I should uplift the disciple more.
I agree again. One of my favorite scripture stories is that of Peter stepping out of the boat to go meet Jesus on top of the crashing waves. Talk about overaggressive...
No person in their right mind gets out of a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee to try and walk on water. But then again, no person in their right mind leaves a moderately successful fishing business, tax collecting business or otherwise to follow Jesus either. Carrying that forward, no one travels to Juarez to build houses amongst all this violence either.
The point is that our aggression is to be used for the Kingdom. We are to be daring, adventurous, willing to go meet Jesus in the scary and dark places, where we might possibly drown, with faith that Jesus is the light to guide us through. Does this mean we'll come out unscathed or alive? No...not in earthly terms. But it does mean we'll be living into the Kingdom of God the way we were meant to.
All that is the popular sermon on this scripture passage, but the part that I see as important is the burn out part. There's a part where Peter looks down and realizes, "Shoot! I'm walking on water" and he becomes afraid and starts sinking. Two things in this. It became about fear and safety rather than pursuing Christ, and he lost focus.
One of the general problems we have in churches is that we have some of the greatest, most ambitious, most intelligent people who want to serve Christ, and do in an awesome way. But they start to be the only ones who raise their hand, while the less ambitious people sit and watch, in faith that those people will get their jobs done. Eventually these people get burnt out...they look down...and realize they've been walking on the water this whole time.
The only thing that kept them going was their tunnel vision on Christ. They had a goal, and no amount of turbulence or trouble was going to derail them. No amount of tiredness would slow them down. But we're human. We have limitations, no matter how steeped in Christ we are.
I think Peter just lost focus for a little bit. It doesn't take anything away from him as a great man of Jesus, he just got tired and lost focus. It's training ourselves to always look up at Christ that gets us through.
It's also about the other disciples stepping out and helping him get all the way...rather than staying in the boat where it's safe.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Real Men of Jesus Continued Week 1
Each week, after the sermon I'll have a follow up blog to consider and respond to, hopefully keeping our mission of becoming Real Men of Jesus in the forefront of our minds.
To hear the full sermon leading into this, go here: http://www.mysumc.podbean.org
Today's - Read Luke 22:54-62 - Peter's betrayal of Jesus
The night before I preached I read the focus scripture passage again, just for one last bit of inspiration that God might want to give to me, and as God always does, there it was.
I'd been focusing on Peter denying Jesus, the shame involved in that, and how we do that all the time, but what I failed to focus on the first 100 times I'd read the passage was that even though Peter kept denying that he knew anything about Jesus...other people recognized that he was a Real Man of Jesus.
That says something. To think that I could go out into the street and flat out say, "I hate the TCU Horned Frogs!" and no one would believe me would be quite a testament to my loyalty and love for my alma mater. What if all men lived and worked this way? A way in which no one would ever believe you didn't love Jesus and seek to follow him in all things.
Translate that to what we talked about Sunday morning. What in your life screams, "I don't love, respect or honor my wife and kids?" Is it the magazines you read, the jokes you make, the schedule you keep?
I believe a Real Man of Jesus follows through on his commitment to love his wife and kids before all others, respecting them, loving them and showing them the utmost devotion in all aspects of his life...yes...even when they're not around. I've heard the blowing off steam excuse before, and there's a lot more healthier ways of doing that, AND ways that don't let your wife know you still want to sew your wild oats.
Live life on purpose. Live life so that no one would ever, ever believe that Jesus and your family were not the two most important things in your life at all times. No matter how hard you try to deny it.
To hear the full sermon leading into this, go here: http://www.mysumc.podbean.org
Today's - Read Luke 22:54-62 - Peter's betrayal of Jesus
The night before I preached I read the focus scripture passage again, just for one last bit of inspiration that God might want to give to me, and as God always does, there it was.
I'd been focusing on Peter denying Jesus, the shame involved in that, and how we do that all the time, but what I failed to focus on the first 100 times I'd read the passage was that even though Peter kept denying that he knew anything about Jesus...other people recognized that he was a Real Man of Jesus.
That says something. To think that I could go out into the street and flat out say, "I hate the TCU Horned Frogs!" and no one would believe me would be quite a testament to my loyalty and love for my alma mater. What if all men lived and worked this way? A way in which no one would ever believe you didn't love Jesus and seek to follow him in all things.
Translate that to what we talked about Sunday morning. What in your life screams, "I don't love, respect or honor my wife and kids?" Is it the magazines you read, the jokes you make, the schedule you keep?
I believe a Real Man of Jesus follows through on his commitment to love his wife and kids before all others, respecting them, loving them and showing them the utmost devotion in all aspects of his life...yes...even when they're not around. I've heard the blowing off steam excuse before, and there's a lot more healthier ways of doing that, AND ways that don't let your wife know you still want to sew your wild oats.
Live life on purpose. Live life so that no one would ever, ever believe that Jesus and your family were not the two most important things in your life at all times. No matter how hard you try to deny it.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Forced to Slow Down
I'll admit it...I've barely done any work in 3 days.
After Monday I figured I would miss Tuesday, but at worst I'd be back in on Friday. Nope. As people around the country can attest, it's crazy to go anywhere in this weather. It's fun to tromp around and sled, but nuts to drive if you don't have to.
So thinking I'd only miss one/two days of work I packed just the normal stuff to come home. Not much, but enough to put a sermon or lesson plan together if need be. Then...the worst happened. E-mail went down.
So for 3 days I have texted and called people, and made use of Facebook, but when it came down to it...there wasn't a ton that NEEDED to be done. And how do I know that? Because the joy of my daughter coming to collect me from the computer at home so I'll chase her down the hallway is much more important than a blog post (she's napping now by the way). The time to spend with my wife planning our vacation or just watching TV together is more important than what the worship theme will be 2 weeks from now.
The snow and ice...have forced me to slow down. And I've liked what I've seen.
Granted, the stress of having to complete tasks and get the ship rolling again will be tough and the stress involved with the "do we have Upward Basketball Saturday or not question" is tough, but for 4 days now I have focused on family, realized words my daughter can say that I hadn't heard before and regained empathy for what my wonderful wife does every day.
Today we took turns walking in the snow since my daughter didn't want to go play and after slipping twice I began to walk slower and slower. My usual pace of about a million steps a minute became a steady gait and I did not have my cell phone, ipod touch or computer to weigh me down. In the moments going out I thanked God for the nature I hadn't paid attention to in a long time. I prayed for those people in my church and I prayed for those who God wanted us to reach. I prayed with sadness for those without heat or food during this time.
And on the way back I saw my house and I thanked God for heat, shelter, food and water. I thanked God for a beautiful, intelligent wife who I have spent more time with in the last 4 days then the last 2 weeks. I thanked God for a daughter and another daughter on the way who can light up the room in an instant.
What was I doing before I took a walk, you might ask? Cursing the snow and the cold weather for not letting me do what I wanted to do.
It's amazing how those things you think are in your way, can provide small reminders of the way things should be.
After Monday I figured I would miss Tuesday, but at worst I'd be back in on Friday. Nope. As people around the country can attest, it's crazy to go anywhere in this weather. It's fun to tromp around and sled, but nuts to drive if you don't have to.
So thinking I'd only miss one/two days of work I packed just the normal stuff to come home. Not much, but enough to put a sermon or lesson plan together if need be. Then...the worst happened. E-mail went down.
So for 3 days I have texted and called people, and made use of Facebook, but when it came down to it...there wasn't a ton that NEEDED to be done. And how do I know that? Because the joy of my daughter coming to collect me from the computer at home so I'll chase her down the hallway is much more important than a blog post (she's napping now by the way). The time to spend with my wife planning our vacation or just watching TV together is more important than what the worship theme will be 2 weeks from now.
The snow and ice...have forced me to slow down. And I've liked what I've seen.
Granted, the stress of having to complete tasks and get the ship rolling again will be tough and the stress involved with the "do we have Upward Basketball Saturday or not question" is tough, but for 4 days now I have focused on family, realized words my daughter can say that I hadn't heard before and regained empathy for what my wonderful wife does every day.
Today we took turns walking in the snow since my daughter didn't want to go play and after slipping twice I began to walk slower and slower. My usual pace of about a million steps a minute became a steady gait and I did not have my cell phone, ipod touch or computer to weigh me down. In the moments going out I thanked God for the nature I hadn't paid attention to in a long time. I prayed for those people in my church and I prayed for those who God wanted us to reach. I prayed with sadness for those without heat or food during this time.
And on the way back I saw my house and I thanked God for heat, shelter, food and water. I thanked God for a beautiful, intelligent wife who I have spent more time with in the last 4 days then the last 2 weeks. I thanked God for a daughter and another daughter on the way who can light up the room in an instant.
What was I doing before I took a walk, you might ask? Cursing the snow and the cold weather for not letting me do what I wanted to do.
It's amazing how those things you think are in your way, can provide small reminders of the way things should be.
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