I recently took some teens & adults canoeing.  I was a little nervous, being that my last river outing was in a raft going down the river that the Olympic Games were held.  It was a little intense.  This trip was a calm, quiet ride down in Urbana.  We had a great time.  As we were paddling/floating along, I got to thinking about some life lessons that could come from this trip.  Over the next few weeks, I want to share some of my observations with you.  Hang on, it could get bumpy!

#1 – Teamwork is Important

#2 – Don’t Rush

Not sure that I should admit this, but I probably should…I am not a perfect youth pastor.  Whew, that feels better.  Now you know the truth.

On this recent canoe trip, we took 14 canoes down the river.  About 30 minutes into our 1.5 hour trip, there was a small drop off (like 6 inches).  The canoe place warned us about it and said just go slow & straight and you will be fine.  So we took our time as to not run over other canoes.  Right after this drop off was a nice place to stop for a bit.  So we did…kind of.

After we got everyone over to the side (we had spread out a little), we realized that there were 3 canoes missing.  They didn’t stop after the falls, but kept on going (don’t fire me just yet there was with an adult with them – we had several spread out the group).  I figured they weren’t very far ahead of us.  So my teammate and I jumped in our canoe and hurried off to catch up to them.  It took us 30 minutes of hustling (not rushed, but going faster than we would have preferred).  We finally caught them and they were doing fine, having a good time.  They wondered where the other 10 canoes were, but hadn’t stopped to figure it out. We stopped at the side, although not a great place to stop; as I had to hold the canoes from drifting off.  We waited for the others to show up; then we finished up (which wasn’t far off).

The lesson…don’t rush through life.  When we started the canoe trip, we were having a lot of fun (despite being splashed & dumped – more on that later).  When we were hurrying to catch the others, we didn’t have as much fun.  We were on an important mission, but were all alone…and felt some pressure.

• I encourage you to not be so busy that you don’t enjoy the stage of life you are in right now. It may not be perfect; but there are some good times. Cherish those moments.
• Find others to go through life with: a small group; family; neighbors; friends; church. The Bible talks about being made for relationships. Who are you connected to? My fear for those who went on ahead was mostly around ‘what if they need help?’ they weren’t all alone, but there is something about being with others. ‘If one falls down…who can help him up?’ as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

I recently took some teens & adults canoeing.  I was a little nervous, being that my last river outing was in a raft going down the river that the Olympic Games were held.  It was a little intense.  This trip was a calm, quiet ride down in Urbana.  We had a great time.  As we were paddling/floating along, I got to thinking about some life lessons that could come from this trip.  Over the next few weeks, I want to share some of my observations with you.  Hang on, it could get bumpy!

Teamwork is Important

I was paired with a freshman.  For many of you, that would strike fear into your heart (maybe even cause panic).  I was confident in this teen, although he didn’t have much experience.  We started out with him steering.  We ran into a few trees (imagine the car ride at amusement parks with the rail in the middle, and you bounce back and forth).  We quickly found our rhythm though.  Of course, there were obstacles to go around (we’ll talk about those another time) but we figured out how to do that, as a team.

In a canoe, you must work with the other person to remain right side up!  If you both paddle on the same side, you will turn.  We would discuss how we wanted to avoid certain obstacles and then go about the plan (usually with success).

In life, we need to utilize teamwork.  We weren’t put on this earth by ourselves.  We were meant to work together.  We all have some place where we must work well with another person: work, sports, at home and even at church.  It takes communication, trust, compromise, patience, forgiveness and other things to make a good team.  John Wooden, former coach at UCLA, shared that he didn’t always have the most athletic team or the best player in the country; but he had teams that could pull together to win championships.

3 examples from Scripture:

2 Corinthians 6:14 – don’t be unequally yoked.  Who are you paired with? How are you going to make it work?

Acts 15:36-41 – the disagreement between Paul & Barnabas.  They weren’t on the same page, all the time.  They did great things together, but they talked it out and continued on the path God had for them.  We don’t always mesh with everyone.  But we need to know where we do fit.

Acts 16:1-ff – Paul worked really well with Timothy.  He shared his passion & experience with this younger believer.

Are you being a team player?  Is compromise needed (not always)?  What will you do to improve the team?

 Pastor Brent

A friend of mine was on a hike with his fiancé, took a wrong turn, and for over two hours fought his way through briars.  He was lost with no cell phone service. It would be reasonable to ask “Why didn’t he just turn around?”  The path he was on was very steep and, once on the (wrong) path, he was committed. He didn’t know how extensive the briars were (assuming he would get out of them in a little while). When he finally emerged from the briars his shirt was literally shredded and his arms and hands were scratched and bleeding. And, needless to say, he was totally exhausted.

Reminds me of Hebrews 12:1-2. v. 1 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race (path?) marked out for us…

Entanglement is a great word and concept!  Note how what Paul says is affirmed by my friend’s experience.

• If the wrong path is chosen, it can be difficult to return to the right path.
• The sins or briars EASILY entangle.
• We may think we won’t be entangled for long, but…
• We can’t always know how extensive the entanglement will be.
• We often emerge from the entanglement injured.
• These entanglements leave us exhausted!

The really Good News is v. 2 – ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

The first part of my blog is a little negative, but I finish well.

Today I’m presenting two similar pictures – Christian and patriotic holidays.

If Jesus walked the streets of our nation during Christmas and Easter, I suspect He might wonder “Where am I in all of this?” or “Don’t people know these two days should point them to me.”  What He must think about the atheists wanting equal billing with manger scenes on government property. I confess there are times when, as a Christ-follower, I say in my heart “I want my holidays back!”

The other picture is Memorial Day when we “memorialize” those who paid the ultimate price for our many freedoms.  If the veterans who gave their lives walked our streets I suspect they would share the same thoughts Jesus might have.  The picnics and family gatherings and travelling are great – but where do I fit into all of this.  After all, the day is about me, isn’t it?

Then I read a comment from a veteran who addressed my question simply and profoundly.  He said “I’m happy people have the freedom to have their picnics and family gatherings and can travel anywhere they want to!”

I’ll always want our society to have a great focus on the real reasons for Christmas and Easter and if I were king I would make it law. And I sure enjoyed my cookout with friends on Memorial Day because the taste of freedom is something many in our world will never experience.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Last Sunday Dinah and I attended a dance recital for our 4 ½ year old granddaughter.  The dancers (mostly girls) were toddlers to high school in age. It was a great afternoon with all the color, music, and dance routines.

As is often the case, whatever I’m doing I see stories or illustrations for my preaching and teaching ministry.  And this is one of the take-aways from Sunday.

With the exception of the older girls, it was sometimes “girls dancing who knew the routine and other girls dancing by watching and following the girls who knew the routine.”

The followers were often a step or motion or movement behind. It didn’t matter because everyone knew that’s how the younger dancers learn.  Perfection wasn’t as important as participation.

The Christian life is so much like that!  In one sense it’s “believers who know the way and other believers watching and following the believers who know the way.” Perfection isn’t as important as participation. And that’s what biblical faith is all about – participating until you discover your faith is your own and not an imitation of someone else’s faith!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Do you recognize the name Donald Sterling?  If you follow NBA basketball or watch the news you do.  He owns the Los Angeles Clippers and recently (and not so recently) made racist statements that don’t merit keystrokes in this blog.  It’s his most recent remarks that I’d like to weigh in on.

In a CNN interview on Sunday he said, “…I’m here with you today to apologize and to ask for forgiveness for all the people that I’ve hurt.”

God forgives and people forgive – but can a nation or culture forgive?  Can Poland forgive Germany as it raped, murdered, and destroyed its way across Poland as its armies moved east to invade Russia?  Can it forgive Russia for doing the same thing as it marched west to invade Germany?

Can Israel forgive Germany for the 6 million people murdered in concentration camps?

Can African-Americans really forgive a nation that (at least in the south) gave the slave traders a marketplace?

Can _____________________ – you fill in the blank.

I’m not sure the National Basketball Association can forgive Donald Sterling.  Magic Johnson can forgive him. Individual players, retired or playing today, can forgive him. The coach of the Clippers can forgive him.  But I don’t think a nation, an association (NBA), or a team can forgive.  Forgiveness happens between individuals. It’s one-on-one (to use a basketball metaphor)!  It’s messy. It’s up close and personal.

When you sin against some, don’t say “I’m sorry if you took what I said wrong” or “I’m sorry if you got hurt” or “I’m really not that kind of person”.  Say “I’m so sorry I allowed such a thought to enter my mind or word to proceed from my lips or deed to be acted out. I’m shamed by what I did or said.  I will not be able to live in emotional, spiritual, or mental health until you forgive me. I don’t deserve it – but please forgive me!”

I might add this also works really well in our relationship with God. J

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Have you ever read something and thought “I wish I’d written that?”

I’m passing along a blog that’s beautifully written and better than anything I could write today.

It’s written by the mother of a child who has a brain abnormality that may prove to be terminal.

Trials are kind of like being jerked out of a sunny day and being thrown down into a well. It seems that all there is down there is dirt, no light, close air and claustrophobia. It can seem more like a pit than a well. But I’m reminding myself that God only ever puts his children in places where water will eventually flow. It may be a desert or a dark night, but he never leaves us alone.

How do we weather these times? How does a family who’s lost a dad, or a parent who’s buried a baby, or a woman who’s been betrayed, or couple longing for a child, weather the pain, the loss, and the fear?

I’ve asked myself that quite a bit as we’ve watched others walk these roads and tasted our own grief over an abnormal baby brain and an unknown future.

The other day the kids and I were heading home in the van and Eliza was finishing up a book in the back seat. Seth was reading the last chapter along with her, not having read the rest of the book. He commented to her, “It looks like it’s going to be a happy ending.” She responded, “Oh, I don’t like happy endings. That means the book is over.” Then she gave this insight, “But when things are scary or sad at the end, you know there will be another chapter or book coming.”

I can’t tell you the relief I felt as I remembered that a tragic ending means one thing: there’s another chapter coming. No matter how pit-like the well we’ve been tossed into, we’ll be at the King’s right hand someday, just like Joseph went from thrown in a hole, sold down the road, and ended up as Pharaoh’s right hand man, we too, have a future that’s beyond any we could dream up from the bottom of a well.

I’m also realizing that the wells of suffering are a place where we get to drink more deeply of his grace than we ever have before, a place where our thirst for him is drowned in knowing him more deeply. This doesn’t mean that we want the suffering, but rather that what gets us through is his presence. When suffering comes our way, we can recognize that there’s more going on here than just the universe dealing us a bad hand. God has a story He’s writing and we’re meant to be transformed in the telling.

See what I mean?

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Last Sunday I had the great joy of baptizing two wonderful Christians!

I always give people opportunity to say something if they want to and husband said “I accepted Christ as my Savior and I want to follow Him in obedience and be baptized (since Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River).”  His wife said “I was sprinkled as a child and at that time the congregation made a commitment to take care of me.  Now I trust this congregation to take care of me.”

Her statement captured the essence of what it means to be part of the body of Christ – an individual who has been saved by Jesus and joined to Him by faith AND joined to a local body of believers who care for each other.

Sunday was a REALLY great day!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Easter Sunday was a great day at Union Chapel in so many ways!  We had nearly 500 in attendance from our two services and the Ada Family Center.

The number 500 started me thinking about numbers, baseball numbers.

A baseball player can make a LOT of money if he can hit the ball 3 out of 10 times (a .300 hitter).  The best batting average in baseball’s modern era is .406 (Ted Williams of the Boston Red Socks in 1941).  The best batting average ever belongs to Hugh Duffy who hit .440 in 1894 for the Boston Beaneaters (yes, that was the team name).  Hitting over .400 for a season is, in fact, nearly impossible and in our day, a player who hits between .260 and .290 is a REALLY fine hitter – but they are hitting the ball less than 3 times out of 10.

I see so much more in these baseball numbers than being successful ONLY 30% of the time!  I see faithfulness, discipline, commitment, recovery from injuries (sometimes very serious ones), changes in coaches or team members, bad and good weather, personal situations which affect focus, and a dozen other things.

In this sense, a church is a lot like a baseball team!  Pastors, families, leaders, churches, para-church ministries, missionaries all have one goal – not to have 500 or 2,000 or 10,000 people in attendance on Easter Sunday, but to be faithful through all the situations listed in the paragraph above.

Sunday we hit 500 and I am committed to faithful ministry and service if we hit 250 or 300 this coming Sunday!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Are you a spender or a saver?  One of my daughters loves to save her money and wait until she has a lot built up to buy a bigger item.  One of the others spends just about every dime she gets immediately.  Amazing how they are all so different!

There is a story in the Bible that Jesus told about a servant that went out and spent and spent and spent.  According to one source, he ran up a bill estimated to be roughly 27 years' worth of wages.  Take what you make and multiply it by 27.  Let's try $40,000 (not a huge salary); $40,000 * 27 years = $1.08 Billion.  That is a big bill.  Not very wise spending.

In the story that Jesus is telling (Matthew 18:21), this servant is blessed to have his debt forgiven…forgotten…cancelled completely!  Wow.  What a blessing.  Can you imagine having that weight off of your shoulders?  Really, think about it.  God has forgiven our debts…every cent that our sin has racked up.  He has wiped our slate clean.

Hopefully, this brings a couple of thoughts to your mind:

1)      Thanksgiving – are you thankful for God paying your debts?  There was no way this servant could repay that debt.  We are in the same boat…we could never repay God for the debt of sin that we have accumulated.

2)      Respect – once that burden of debt is lifted, you don't want to get into any more debt.  With our sins forgiven, we should be more careful about getting into sin.

Praise the Lord for His Forgiveness…think about your life…is there sin in it that needs forgiven?

Going further…Jesus used this parable to show how much God has forgiven, but also that disciples should forgive others (not speaking just in terms of financial debt, but in all aspects).

PB