Saturday evening, Jesci and I had the privilege of having dinner with Russ and Nadine Jarvis. Russ was the pastor of the church that I grew up attending, he was the father of some of my best friends, and today continues to be a strong friend and mentor. That night after dinner (Nadine's pizza, another thing I grew up loving), we discussed various trends in ministry and churches, and in people of faith themselves.
Russ remarked that he had observed that in a world where people try their best to customize and define every category of their lives (political affiliations, gender identity, sexual identity, race, culture, heritage), the church stands somewhat in opposition, asking people not to define themselves by their own selves, but to adopt Christ - to be called by his name (Acts 11), to put on Christ as a garment (Galatians 3:27) and to submit to him as the only way to salvation (John 14:6).
It seems that Christ walks up to the worldly thinker and draws a line in the sand.
I didn't disagree with Russ. But I added that I have observed that those passages (such as the ones listed above) that point out the exclusivity of Christ, and promote self-denial over self-satisfaction, and promote that idea that, as John the Baptist put it, "I must decrease, and he (Christ) must increase" (John 3:30) actually seem to be met, when I preach about them, with more enthusiasm than disdain.
It makes me wonder if people in our culture aren't getting tired of this post-modern worldview of customizable values, and are instead, beginning to become more interested in something established, familiar, and secure. Perhaps I'm way off, but it seems to me the more I preach on these subjects, the "Amens" seem to get louder and louder.
So far this year, we've baptized 4 people (not bad for a church of 140) and have more people that seem to be interested in furthering on their Christian education through discipleship, leadership training, and service. I think perhaps this indicates that tastes are starting to change.
When I was in High School, my mother fed me. And she fed me well. She gave me healthy meals, and made sure that I was getting the nutrients and vitamins I needed. When I moved to college, and I was no longer under her direct care, it was my decision what to eat, how often to eat, and when (if ever) to stop eating. I gained nearly 100 lbs, and have struggled to get the weight off since.
I've become increasingly burdened with the onslaught of fast food, limitless sweets, and soda over water. I've decided that it was time to make a change in my diet, a change in my lifestyle habits, and a change in my routine. I have come to feel the counterfeit offerings of a poorly balanced diet in a real way, and I'm working to change that.
I believe that people in our culture are beginning to wake up to this. Like a person that can't control their portion intake, so many people have thrown out good advice, sound teachings, and clear morals for whatever their burning hearts desire. They've drowned out the truth of reason with the lie of counterfeit values, modified standards, and "do-it-yourself" ethics. The result of which has been chaos, and much like the way my body responded to my diet, our culture is out of shape.
But I'm beginning to see trends and signs that people are ready to start listening to reason again. Rather than choosing their own morals and standards, they're ready, and their hungry to hear from God's word. Not everyone for sure, but people are starting to wake up. I don't have any statistics to share, only the assertion that the "amens" are stronger, the feedback is positive, and the people who provide both are beginning to move toward maturity and discovering that, as the author of life, God has some pretty great plans about how to live it out.
Starting this month at Plum Creek, we'll be beginning a sermon series called "Do You Believe," based on the movie of the same title. Our four topics for the month are:
3/6 Do You Believe God has a Plan?
3/13 Do You Believe You Are a Part of God's Plan?
3/20 Do You Believe That Faith Requires Action?
3/27 Do You Believe Jesus is Worth Your Sacrifice?
As we head into the Easter month, I'm very excited to explore these questions and more as move closer to that line in the sand that Jesus has drawn. Do you believe it's a line worth crossing? I do. I hope you'll join us this month at Plum Creek Christian Church and hear why.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
New Beginnings
Well, obviously my New Year's resolution wasn't to blog everyday, which is good, because I'd be 26 days behind.
But, so far, I'll say that 2016 has been a fine year for us. Jesci is officially cancer free, I am serving Plum Creek as the Lead Pastor, my son Tristan will be a toddler in a few days, Torrin will start 1st grade (In the fall, of course) and my family is looking to buy our first home. Look out, 2016, the Korff's are coming!
If you are reading this, and you're a member of our church (Plum Creek), let me tell you what you can look forward to. We'll be talking about discipleship, and setting up a clear model for how it works at Plum Creek. We'll also be talking Servant Leadership, Financial Stewardship, and of course, Jesus' Resurrection at Easter time in the first quarter. It's gonna be a great year for Plum Creek.
If you are reading this and you're a family member and or friend, I'll be posting stuff about how the family is doing, how the boys are growing, and how Jesci's progressing. She looks great, has all of her coloring back, and most of her energy. Hopefully, we'll also soon be posting pictures of a new home.
If you are reading and you're a fellow movie buff, I'll be talking about all of the nerdy films I'm looking forward to in 2016, such as Star Wars: Rogue One, the new TMNT movie (Bebop and Rocksteady!) Batman V Superman, and Captain America Civil War.
I'm looking forward to all of what 2016 is going to offer, challenges, opportunities and more. I'm hoping for a good, fun, safe and productive year!
But, so far, I'll say that 2016 has been a fine year for us. Jesci is officially cancer free, I am serving Plum Creek as the Lead Pastor, my son Tristan will be a toddler in a few days, Torrin will start 1st grade (In the fall, of course) and my family is looking to buy our first home. Look out, 2016, the Korff's are coming!
If you are reading this, and you're a member of our church (Plum Creek), let me tell you what you can look forward to. We'll be talking about discipleship, and setting up a clear model for how it works at Plum Creek. We'll also be talking Servant Leadership, Financial Stewardship, and of course, Jesus' Resurrection at Easter time in the first quarter. It's gonna be a great year for Plum Creek.
If you are reading this and you're a family member and or friend, I'll be posting stuff about how the family is doing, how the boys are growing, and how Jesci's progressing. She looks great, has all of her coloring back, and most of her energy. Hopefully, we'll also soon be posting pictures of a new home.
If you are reading and you're a fellow movie buff, I'll be talking about all of the nerdy films I'm looking forward to in 2016, such as Star Wars: Rogue One, the new TMNT movie (Bebop and Rocksteady!) Batman V Superman, and Captain America Civil War.
I'm looking forward to all of what 2016 is going to offer, challenges, opportunities and more. I'm hoping for a good, fun, safe and productive year!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Sunday Review 9/27
It’s apparent to me that we’re losing some faces in the
crowd. You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? Is it discouraging you? Are you worried
about it? Do you have a thought or two or three as to why it’s happening? Let’s
go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room, or in this case, that may not
be in the room.
Attendance is down a bit, yes. But I’d like to encourage you
with a couple of cliché reasons as to why. First, whenever a church is in
transition, such as we are at Plum Creek, this kind of thing often happens.
Second, we’re getting into that time of year where farmers are busy, and we
have a large population of farmers, so that’s something to consider as well.
Here’s the thing, though. What it all comes down to is, we
can’t let ourselves be distracted by things like this. No matter what happens,
as a church, we need to be focused on the mission that God has called us to. I
do want to encourage you to join me in reaching out to our missing brothers and
sisters, but at the end of the day, we have to be focused on Christ’s mission
of evangelism.
Last Sunday we talked about Jesus’ eating with tax
collectors and sinners. We talked about how the Pharisees were enraged by this.
We also talked about the fact that Jesus pointed out to these, the religious
elite, that he hadn’t come to call the righteous, but the sinners. It’s not the
healthy people who need a doctor, Jesus reminded them, but the sick.
I picked up a book by a pastor who I highly respect named
Tim Harlow. He writes about this passage, and suggests that what Jesus was
really saying was:
“I’m letting you know up front that my goal isn’t to have
holy little people that live in a little box and get everything right all the
time. If that was what I wanted I would just take you all to heaven right now.
But this is not heaven. This is earth. It’s messy here, but we’re finding
sinners and getting them ready for heaven, and we do that by sitting down and
eating with them, just as they are. Sick and messy. If you’re good with that –
pull up a chair and join me.” Tim Harlow’s Life
on Mission
I gotta tell you, I really like that quote. I really like
that mission. I really like that Tim puts it so clearly, so plainly, and so
well.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I don’t care that we have
people who are wandering. I’m saying that at all. What I AM saying, is that we
have a mission to do. And I believe if we stick to it and do it, and we don’t
let anything distract us from it, God will take care of us.
We have nothing to fear, Plum Creek. We only have work to
do.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Sunday Review: Amped Up
Last Sunday, we Plum Creekers gathered together for the seventh time under the roof of the Riverside Park Amphitheater for our annual outdoor worship service that we call "Amped Up."
Amped Up is special for a variety of reasons. First, it's cool that a church would do something like it. It's so very out of the box, and takes a lot of work to pull off. My unending thanks to Mike Ooley, Jack Harmon, Bob Hoel, Dave Halterman, Steven Boyer, Mona Sterwerf, Betty Thomas, Bill Craven, Carolyn Kieth, Shelly Griffin, and many, many more who put in so much time and effort to make the event possible. Everyone who helped from setting up the stage to organizing food to parking cars, truly, thank you for your efforts this weekend.
In the past, Ray always tried to make Amped Up as much about evangelism as possible. I don't disagree with that, not by any stretch of the imagination. But I have noticed that Amped Up has become that "third Sunday" that so many casual church goers attend. You know, Christmas, Easter, and Amped Up. So I wanted to deliver a message that, while certainly and appropriately evangelistic, might also "amp up" some of those more casual attenders, as well as make the regular attending crowd excited about our goal of winning people to Jesus.
From the response that I have been getting, it sounds like those efforts weren't in vain. I'm grateful to God for blessing our day, and for being with us as we worshiped him.
Leading up to the day, I had asked those on facebook to take a look at the 1953 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Duck Amuck."
In the picture, Daffy Duck believes he is about to star in a cartoon about the Three Musketeers. Instead, the animator of the picture spends the length of the film drawing in different scenery and costumes on Daffy, and at one point even goes so far as to erase the exasperated duck and draw him back in as a flower headed monster.
In this preview of post-modernism, we are entertained by a slowly maddening protagonist, (Daffy Duck) and eventually learn the identity of the somewhat sadistic antagonistic animator (Bugs Bunny in this case).
We have a good laugh at Daffy's expense, but I think more than we are necessarily entertained, we also find a common thread with Daffy in the pattern that he's knitting (See what I did there, Pam?).
Daffy spends the picture arguing with the narrator, insisting that he's not doing his job correctly, that he's making mistakes left and right, and even goes so far as to try to tell the animator how to do his job.
How often do we do the same thing with God? How much time do we spend arguing with him and yelling at him and telling him how to do his job?
If we're honest with ourselves, we've probably all done that at least once. But if we could just... back off for a second and let a cooler head prevail, and think, and feel, and ask him...
Ask him? Ask him what? What is he doing? Why is he doing it? Is he even there?
No. God is there.
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the grave), You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me.
So, if God is there, and he's everywhere, why can't I sense him? Why can't I feel him? Why does my life often feel like a Daffy Duck cartoon that spinning out of control?
Good questions. But I have a better one. You see I think we often spend way too much time looking for answers, when we aren't focused enough on asking the right questions. So, what's the right question to ask? Well if God isn't present everywhere, all the time and with us, the question isn't "where are you, God?" But instead, "God, would yo reveal yourself to me?"
God I can't find you, God I can't feel you. Show me yourself. Prove to me that you're still here and haven't left me. Help me to find you again.
I admire my wife for the heroic battle she's fighting and winning. Most of you know that life has been insane for our family lately. Between Jesci's fight with lymphoma, her Dad's passing this summer, and a few other odds and ends here and there, life has at best been busy, and at worst, very, very difficult. But Jesci has a theory - That God is preparing us for something stronger.
I really admire that. I admire it because Jesci hasn't allowed the negative circumstance in her life to dictate how her life will be lived. Instead, she has asked God to reveal to her what he is up to. And in doing so, she has been able to see that God has a plan here.
Let's not forget what we learn from Jeremiah 29:11 - God has plans for a hope and a future for us.
So that begs the question, will you be like Daffy and spend your days uselessly arguing with God? Or will you spend your days like Jesci, and ask God to reveal himself and his plans to you?
Let's take an example from a faithful servant. Let's lay down our burdens, our woes and our complaints. Let's strap on the armor of God and let's reach out to a world that's hurt, lost and dying. God has given us marching orders in 2 Corinthians 5. We are to reconcile the world to him! And we need to be at our best to perform such a task. Let's lay down our burdens, let's pick up our armor, and let's amp it up!
Amped Up is special for a variety of reasons. First, it's cool that a church would do something like it. It's so very out of the box, and takes a lot of work to pull off. My unending thanks to Mike Ooley, Jack Harmon, Bob Hoel, Dave Halterman, Steven Boyer, Mona Sterwerf, Betty Thomas, Bill Craven, Carolyn Kieth, Shelly Griffin, and many, many more who put in so much time and effort to make the event possible. Everyone who helped from setting up the stage to organizing food to parking cars, truly, thank you for your efforts this weekend.
In the past, Ray always tried to make Amped Up as much about evangelism as possible. I don't disagree with that, not by any stretch of the imagination. But I have noticed that Amped Up has become that "third Sunday" that so many casual church goers attend. You know, Christmas, Easter, and Amped Up. So I wanted to deliver a message that, while certainly and appropriately evangelistic, might also "amp up" some of those more casual attenders, as well as make the regular attending crowd excited about our goal of winning people to Jesus.
From the response that I have been getting, it sounds like those efforts weren't in vain. I'm grateful to God for blessing our day, and for being with us as we worshiped him.
Leading up to the day, I had asked those on facebook to take a look at the 1953 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Duck Amuck."
In the picture, Daffy Duck believes he is about to star in a cartoon about the Three Musketeers. Instead, the animator of the picture spends the length of the film drawing in different scenery and costumes on Daffy, and at one point even goes so far as to erase the exasperated duck and draw him back in as a flower headed monster.
In this preview of post-modernism, we are entertained by a slowly maddening protagonist, (Daffy Duck) and eventually learn the identity of the somewhat sadistic antagonistic animator (Bugs Bunny in this case).
We have a good laugh at Daffy's expense, but I think more than we are necessarily entertained, we also find a common thread with Daffy in the pattern that he's knitting (See what I did there, Pam?).
Daffy spends the picture arguing with the narrator, insisting that he's not doing his job correctly, that he's making mistakes left and right, and even goes so far as to try to tell the animator how to do his job.
How often do we do the same thing with God? How much time do we spend arguing with him and yelling at him and telling him how to do his job?
If we're honest with ourselves, we've probably all done that at least once. But if we could just... back off for a second and let a cooler head prevail, and think, and feel, and ask him...
Ask him? Ask him what? What is he doing? Why is he doing it? Is he even there?
No. God is there.
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the grave), You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me.
So, if God is there, and he's everywhere, why can't I sense him? Why can't I feel him? Why does my life often feel like a Daffy Duck cartoon that spinning out of control?
Good questions. But I have a better one. You see I think we often spend way too much time looking for answers, when we aren't focused enough on asking the right questions. So, what's the right question to ask? Well if God isn't present everywhere, all the time and with us, the question isn't "where are you, God?" But instead, "God, would yo reveal yourself to me?"
God I can't find you, God I can't feel you. Show me yourself. Prove to me that you're still here and haven't left me. Help me to find you again.
I admire my wife for the heroic battle she's fighting and winning. Most of you know that life has been insane for our family lately. Between Jesci's fight with lymphoma, her Dad's passing this summer, and a few other odds and ends here and there, life has at best been busy, and at worst, very, very difficult. But Jesci has a theory - That God is preparing us for something stronger.
I really admire that. I admire it because Jesci hasn't allowed the negative circumstance in her life to dictate how her life will be lived. Instead, she has asked God to reveal to her what he is up to. And in doing so, she has been able to see that God has a plan here.
Let's not forget what we learn from Jeremiah 29:11 - God has plans for a hope and a future for us.
So that begs the question, will you be like Daffy and spend your days uselessly arguing with God? Or will you spend your days like Jesci, and ask God to reveal himself and his plans to you?
Let's take an example from a faithful servant. Let's lay down our burdens, our woes and our complaints. Let's strap on the armor of God and let's reach out to a world that's hurt, lost and dying. God has given us marching orders in 2 Corinthians 5. We are to reconcile the world to him! And we need to be at our best to perform such a task. Let's lay down our burdens, let's pick up our armor, and let's amp it up!
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Sunday Review 8/30
As we prepare to finish up the narrative of the Old Testament in our sermon series The Story, we took some time this weekend to visit Persia and pay honor to it's queen - Esther.
I've always really liked the book of Esther. I know everyone gives Esther grief because it's the book that doesn't specifically mention God in it, but I appreciate our guest worship leader, and my sister in law, Jean Bell's reminder that God knew that we would need some examples to follow, and I agree with her that this is a big part of the reason of why it was included in the cannon of the Bible.
Esther is a perfect example of what it means to be submitted to God and to be willing to be used of him. Esther may have ended up being the Queen of beauty and courage, but she started out as an orphan, a person with lower status than anyone. She was raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who told her after being forced to be queen not to tell anyone who she is or that she is a Jew.
Abandoned. Stolen from home. Forced into a life she didn't ask for. Told to be quiet about her heritage and family. Not a great way to start out life.
Esther arrives on the scene confused and afraid. The king's Eunuch's who were assigned to attend her were likely the only people she talked to on a regular basis.
One day, she gets a report that the King's number two guy, Haman, just signed into law an edict making Jews public enemy number one, and ordered that they be terminated. Cousin Mordecai appeals to Esther to plead with the king on the Jew's behalf.
Further complicating the matter is that Esther has no idea how to behave around the king. Can she even approach him? People who showed up in the king's presence un-invited were thrown on large sharp poles and impaled. I could see why she would be a little nervous to approach him, let alone talk to him about what's happening and ask him to intervene.
But...
Esther 4:13-14
When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
Mordecai was right. He caught a glimpse of the "upper story." Do you remember the concept of the "Upper" and "Lower" story? The Lower Story is our life. It's what is going on around us. It's what we see and interact with. The "Upper" Story is God's story. It's what he's doing behind the scenes that we can't see. It's where his thoughts are higher than our thoughts and where his ways are higher than our ways, and where it's where he's working in his mysterious ways.
I get in my mind this picture of God playing chess with himself. We of course are the pawns. The moves of the player are unknown to us, but we can be sure that God is playing, and that no matter how close it may seem to "checkmate", God always has a move or two up his sleeve.
In this case, it looked as though Haman was going to commit racial genocide and wipe the Jews out with one fell swoop. But in the upper story, God was preparing his next move. He was about to move his Queen.
It didn't happen right away, but eventually Esther gathered her courage and revealed to the king what Haman was planning to do. The king was so furious with Haman that he had him executed and impaled on a pole. Mordecai was elevated to Haman's old position, and the Jews were saved.
All because an abandoned, lonely, and frightened girl submitted to God and allowed him to move through her.
Maybe you are like Esther and you don't have a large amount of confidence. Perhaps you feel you're too young to be used of God; too inexperienced. Or perhaps you feel you're too old; too set in your ways. But if we learn anything from Esther's story, it's that God can use anyone to accomplish his purposes.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
And he can do it again if you'll submit to him through Jesus Christ and allow him to move through you.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Sunday Review 8/23
Last Sunday, we covered Chapter 19 of The Story - The Return Home. We talked about some of the joys of various homecoming festivals, and how being home, even when life is busy, can seem so good to your soul.
We also talked about the fact that the book of Ezra records that the Jews were sent back to Jerusalem with a mission. King Cyrus of Persia told them to rebuild God's temple. But there were enemies of Israel who tried to delay or stop the progress of the construction of the house of God.
But when King Darius, the new king of Persia, learned of this opposition, not only did he put a stop to it, but he demanded that the enemies of the Jews be the ones to financially support the temple's reconstruction, as well as to provide needed elements for the sacrifices to God that would take place there.
God seems to be rather insistent that this "house" be built. But we are reminded many times in Scripture that God doesn't live in temples made by human hands.
Acts 17:24-25
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
If God doesn't "need" anything from us, including a "house" to live in, why is he so focused on the Jew's building a temple for him?
I believe it's not the temple itself God is concerned with, but everything the temple represents!
So what does the temple represent?
1. God's Presence
The temple was where the Jews went to worship. It was where they went to pray. It was where they went to inquire of the Lord and bring their sacrifices.
2. God's Praises
The temple was, after all, where people went to worship God. That would serve as a reminder that it's always appropriate to do so.
3. God's Provision
The idea here was that God's temple would be the first completed building in Jerusalem, right? So while they're building their houses, and their businesses, and their markets, they'd see that finished temple and remember that once again, it was God who brought them out of captivity. It was God who brought them into Jerusalem again, and it was God who brought them freedom and resources to settle here again.
Now, in our modern situation, the temple represents the church. Let me be so bold here as to suggest that in THIS case, I DO mean the church building.
Our specific building, Plum Creek Christian Church, was constructed in 1912. Construction finished in December of that year. Plum Creek had been meeting before that time in a barn a short distance North East of where the church currently sits at 4021 E 550 N in Rush County Indiana.
Plum Creek isn't a temple, or for those of you who are reading who don't attend Plum Creek Church, YOUR church isn't a "temple" either. But it is where we gather together to worship God. And he is still concerned about what happens inside that building. He's concerned that we:
1. Gather Together to Celebrate His Word - Not just from specific leadership persons such as myself as the preacher, or Libby Tanner as a Sunday School Teacher, or Scott Sterwerf as an elder. Those facets are certainly true and accurate, but from everyone I talk to at Plum Creek, I hear words of wisdom, words of kindness, words of life!
2. Gather Together to Worship Him - I appreciate our worship teams at Plum Creek and the unique worship experiences they help to arrange. Lifting our hearts to God together gives me great joy each week.
3. Gather Together to Enjoy Fellowship with his People - I have made lifelong friends at Plum Creek. People to love, people to pray with, people to bounce ideas off of. People who's shoulder I can cry on when I need to. I can testify that the people of Plum Creek do a great job of wrapping their arms around you in troubled times.
God is still just as concerned with what happens inside the building today as he was back there. And just as there were enemies to face the Jews who re-constructed the temple, there are enemies today who would threaten our work on building the kingdom of God. In order to stand up to those enemies, we need to be strong and united, as the Jews in our story were. I'll leave you with this scripture, and encourage you as I do to follow Paul's instructions in order to best carry out the work of building God's Kingdom.
Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Be one, my brothers and sisters - and let no enemy inside or outside of the church stop you from building God's kingdom.
We also talked about the fact that the book of Ezra records that the Jews were sent back to Jerusalem with a mission. King Cyrus of Persia told them to rebuild God's temple. But there were enemies of Israel who tried to delay or stop the progress of the construction of the house of God.
But when King Darius, the new king of Persia, learned of this opposition, not only did he put a stop to it, but he demanded that the enemies of the Jews be the ones to financially support the temple's reconstruction, as well as to provide needed elements for the sacrifices to God that would take place there.
God seems to be rather insistent that this "house" be built. But we are reminded many times in Scripture that God doesn't live in temples made by human hands.
Acts 17:24-25
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
If God doesn't "need" anything from us, including a "house" to live in, why is he so focused on the Jew's building a temple for him?
I believe it's not the temple itself God is concerned with, but everything the temple represents!
So what does the temple represent?
1. God's Presence
The temple was where the Jews went to worship. It was where they went to pray. It was where they went to inquire of the Lord and bring their sacrifices.
2. God's Praises
The temple was, after all, where people went to worship God. That would serve as a reminder that it's always appropriate to do so.
3. God's Provision
The idea here was that God's temple would be the first completed building in Jerusalem, right? So while they're building their houses, and their businesses, and their markets, they'd see that finished temple and remember that once again, it was God who brought them out of captivity. It was God who brought them into Jerusalem again, and it was God who brought them freedom and resources to settle here again.
Now, in our modern situation, the temple represents the church. Let me be so bold here as to suggest that in THIS case, I DO mean the church building.
Our specific building, Plum Creek Christian Church, was constructed in 1912. Construction finished in December of that year. Plum Creek had been meeting before that time in a barn a short distance North East of where the church currently sits at 4021 E 550 N in Rush County Indiana.
Plum Creek isn't a temple, or for those of you who are reading who don't attend Plum Creek Church, YOUR church isn't a "temple" either. But it is where we gather together to worship God. And he is still concerned about what happens inside that building. He's concerned that we:
1. Gather Together to Celebrate His Word - Not just from specific leadership persons such as myself as the preacher, or Libby Tanner as a Sunday School Teacher, or Scott Sterwerf as an elder. Those facets are certainly true and accurate, but from everyone I talk to at Plum Creek, I hear words of wisdom, words of kindness, words of life!
2. Gather Together to Worship Him - I appreciate our worship teams at Plum Creek and the unique worship experiences they help to arrange. Lifting our hearts to God together gives me great joy each week.
3. Gather Together to Enjoy Fellowship with his People - I have made lifelong friends at Plum Creek. People to love, people to pray with, people to bounce ideas off of. People who's shoulder I can cry on when I need to. I can testify that the people of Plum Creek do a great job of wrapping their arms around you in troubled times.
God is still just as concerned with what happens inside the building today as he was back there. And just as there were enemies to face the Jews who re-constructed the temple, there are enemies today who would threaten our work on building the kingdom of God. In order to stand up to those enemies, we need to be strong and united, as the Jews in our story were. I'll leave you with this scripture, and encourage you as I do to follow Paul's instructions in order to best carry out the work of building God's Kingdom.
Ephesians 4:1-6
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Be one, my brothers and sisters - and let no enemy inside or outside of the church stop you from building God's kingdom.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Out of their box...
I opened a new set of Ninja Turtles action figures tonight. Big deal, right? Those of you who know me well know this isn't news, so why blog about it?
Because these brand new figures are nearly 25 years old. I'll explain.
When you were a child in the late 80s it was impossible not to be hit by the tremendous wave of pop culture that was "turtle power". I was just another victim of the pizza eating, cowabunga yelling, foot bot fighting ninja knuckleheads. I remember very well when we first went to buy a turtles action figure. We finally wore my mother down. She fought against the turtles, she didn't want that in her home. Well, she lost ;)
The first turtle was to be a gift for my brother's pending preschool graduation. The turtles were so popular at the time, finding a figure was nearly impossible. Oh there were figures, but they were all supporting characters such as Splinter, Bebop and Rocksteady. Finding an actual "turtle" turtle was a tall order.
With the help of a friendly walmart associate, we literally started taking each figure off the shelf until finally, we found Donatello! The trouble came in, though, that after we gave him to Matthew, I was super jealous. Fortunately over the weekend, Walmart had a chance to restock, and when I came home from school Monday, Mom had a surprise for me...
My very own ninja turtle! Leonardo! I remember to this day how brilliantly his bright blue bandana popped out against his olive green skin tone. He was a beautiful figure, my first of many, and my favorite to this day.
Over the years, I ended up assembling all four turtles, and several other characters, April, Shredder, etc. but they wore out over time, and then in my "too cool for toys" teen years, I sold them in a church garage sale. Sad times.
A few years later when moving moving into college, I wanted some background noise, and randomly popped in one of the TMNT movies. As new friends came by to introduce themselves over the next couple of hours, and saw what I was watching, we ended up talking all about our memories of watching the turtles, playing with our turtle toys, and pretending to be them on the playground at recess time. Before long, after spending the day sharing old memories with new friends, it seemed almost like I was experiencing it all over again for the first time, and the turtle power wave hit me just as hard, if not harder than before.
I suddenly really missed my toys, and regretted selling them. Especially the four turtles. Oh well. Life goes on.
Fast forward a few. Years, and my wife Jesci (who is awesome) bought me a most excellent Christmas gift. She had gone to eBay and purchased a huge box full of TMNT toys! It was great to see a lot of those old toys again, but the main attraction, the crown jewel, the MVP(most valuable plastic) was an original 1988 Leonardo and a Donatello in perfect shape, still in their original packaging.
I couldn't believe how cool that was. I didn't know how to tell her what that meant to me. And I couldn't open them. They were just too... Perfect! In time, I picked up Raph and Mike as well so I could have a set of four. One of the advantages of your childhood heroes being named after renaissance painters is that eBay sellers often miss spell their names, and you can buy that's tuff cheap, since no one thinks to try miss spelling "Rafael".
Anyway, over the years, I kept them in a closet, unsure of what to do with them. When my son was born, we decided to hang them in his turtle themed room, at least until we could get him his own set.
Well, in the past year I noticed the plastic bubbles that hold the figure on the cars were coming apart, they were just kinda wearing out. Eventually the figures were going to come off of the package whether I liked it or not. Then the other night while I put Torrin to bed, there went Raphael. Fortunately I Caught him in time.
Donatello followed, and while I thought it would bum me out, it was actually really great to have those toys back. I have quite a collection of action figures, and have often thought about selling them all and just going down to those four original turtles. You know, I think I'm ready to do just that...
Because these brand new figures are nearly 25 years old. I'll explain.
When you were a child in the late 80s it was impossible not to be hit by the tremendous wave of pop culture that was "turtle power". I was just another victim of the pizza eating, cowabunga yelling, foot bot fighting ninja knuckleheads. I remember very well when we first went to buy a turtles action figure. We finally wore my mother down. She fought against the turtles, she didn't want that in her home. Well, she lost ;)
The first turtle was to be a gift for my brother's pending preschool graduation. The turtles were so popular at the time, finding a figure was nearly impossible. Oh there were figures, but they were all supporting characters such as Splinter, Bebop and Rocksteady. Finding an actual "turtle" turtle was a tall order.
With the help of a friendly walmart associate, we literally started taking each figure off the shelf until finally, we found Donatello! The trouble came in, though, that after we gave him to Matthew, I was super jealous. Fortunately over the weekend, Walmart had a chance to restock, and when I came home from school Monday, Mom had a surprise for me...
My very own ninja turtle! Leonardo! I remember to this day how brilliantly his bright blue bandana popped out against his olive green skin tone. He was a beautiful figure, my first of many, and my favorite to this day.
Over the years, I ended up assembling all four turtles, and several other characters, April, Shredder, etc. but they wore out over time, and then in my "too cool for toys" teen years, I sold them in a church garage sale. Sad times.
A few years later when moving moving into college, I wanted some background noise, and randomly popped in one of the TMNT movies. As new friends came by to introduce themselves over the next couple of hours, and saw what I was watching, we ended up talking all about our memories of watching the turtles, playing with our turtle toys, and pretending to be them on the playground at recess time. Before long, after spending the day sharing old memories with new friends, it seemed almost like I was experiencing it all over again for the first time, and the turtle power wave hit me just as hard, if not harder than before.
I suddenly really missed my toys, and regretted selling them. Especially the four turtles. Oh well. Life goes on.
Fast forward a few. Years, and my wife Jesci (who is awesome) bought me a most excellent Christmas gift. She had gone to eBay and purchased a huge box full of TMNT toys! It was great to see a lot of those old toys again, but the main attraction, the crown jewel, the MVP(most valuable plastic) was an original 1988 Leonardo and a Donatello in perfect shape, still in their original packaging.
I couldn't believe how cool that was. I didn't know how to tell her what that meant to me. And I couldn't open them. They were just too... Perfect! In time, I picked up Raph and Mike as well so I could have a set of four. One of the advantages of your childhood heroes being named after renaissance painters is that eBay sellers often miss spell their names, and you can buy that's tuff cheap, since no one thinks to try miss spelling "Rafael".
Anyway, over the years, I kept them in a closet, unsure of what to do with them. When my son was born, we decided to hang them in his turtle themed room, at least until we could get him his own set.
Well, in the past year I noticed the plastic bubbles that hold the figure on the cars were coming apart, they were just kinda wearing out. Eventually the figures were going to come off of the package whether I liked it or not. Then the other night while I put Torrin to bed, there went Raphael. Fortunately I Caught him in time.
Donatello followed, and while I thought it would bum me out, it was actually really great to have those toys back. I have quite a collection of action figures, and have often thought about selling them all and just going down to those four original turtles. You know, I think I'm ready to do just that...
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