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You be good while I'm gone

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8 NIV).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is ... goodness..." (Galatians 5:22).

"You be good while I'm gone." My Dad would say to me as he departed for work. "Take care of your mom and little brother. You're the man of the house until I return." He'd continue, while looking me in the eye and slapping me on the back.

At seven years of age I felt no hesitancy in responding to this awesome assignment. "Yes Daddy. Don't you worry. I'll take care of 'em." I'd say, while sticking out my chest.

But sometimes I would take the "man of the house" part too literally and my mother would have to set me straight.  

"I don't think Daddy meant that you were to boss us around." My mother would say, punctuating each word with a pointed finger. "So, you better calm down or I will tell your father when he gets home."

"Nooo!" I'd beg. The worse thing my Mom could do is report to my Dad that I'd failed in my task of filling his shoes.

You see, my idea of being a "good boy," was pleasing my dad. He showed me what is good. I just tried to be like him.

Our Heavenly Father has shown us "what is good." He created the world and called it good. And when our sin caused the image of God in us to fall, and with it all of God's good creation, He sent His Son. Jesus shows us what is truly good. His goodness is available to us. We can receive it and we can display it to a fallen world. 

It's kinda like He's saying, "You show my goodness to this world until I return."

Sounds familiar to me.

Of kid's clothes and kindness

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12 NIV).

Have you noticed how course and sarcastic our culture has become? We're convinced that we have to be thick-skinned and savvy to survive these days.

Or do we? Is it possible that there is a different kind of clothing that we can wear in this rough culture of ours?

Remember when you were younger and sarcasm made no sense (For some, it still doesn't.)? Most of us figured out the humor of sarcasm when we were in middle school. This, after we had endured several raucous occasions where everyone laughed but us, only to realize the laugh was on us. Children don't understand satire. They're too kind.

And speaking of children and kindness, is that where we lost ours? Did we outgrow kindness like a piece of kid's clothing?

Kindness is an underrated trait these days, but the Bible says that it's one of the marks of the fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps kindness is one of the traits that Jesus so admired in the children he welcomed on his lap. He appreciated their simple faith and kind manner.

Kindness and manners go together you know. At least, that's what my mother taught me. When a clerk at a store showed poor customer service or a person was gruff with a child, she would whisper under her breath, "Now, that was ill-mannered. I guess she never learned better."

You can tell a lot about a person in the way they treat a child, or the way they treat someone who is childlike (as in the least of these). If they are rough and haughty, they have not put on kindness. They do not possess the fruit of the Spirit.

Kindness may have been relegated to the kid's clothing section these days, but I think we should look and see if we can't find it in our size again.

On the clock

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed" (Habakkuk 2:3 NLT).

Ever wonder how the human invention of the clock has affected us? God's creation gave us a broad sense of time, with the sun, moon, and heavens moving like large hands on a celestial clock. But these were days and nights, months and seasons, not minutes and seconds. God gave us time, but we invented the clock.

I suppose the clock seduces us into thinking that we have more time because we can subdivide it into smaller and smaller segments. We get the idea that we can "manage" our minutes and "budget" our time for maximum effectiveness. However, this subdivision of time into micro-second intervals doesn't add one moment to our lives. It only slices it into smaller slivers.

In today's One Year Bible reading, Jeremiah was asked for a word from the Lord by a remnant of the Jews that were planning to escape to Egypt.

The Scripture says, "Ten days later the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah" (Jeremiah 42:7 NIV).

Ten days! Not ten hours, not ten minutes, not ten seconds, but ten days later God answered Jeremiah's prayer for wisdom. We see this ten day pattern again in the book of Acts when the disciples waited and prayed in an upper room after Christ's ascension. On the tenth day the Holy Spirit fell on them and empowered them to carry out Christ's commission.

Ten days of waiting patiently on God to speak? Hmmm... let me check my schedule. No. Sorry. I don't have the time. I'm on the clock, you know.

Shalom at home

"...Let each one go home in peace" (1 Kings 22:17 NIV).

Nearly every Sunday after church our family has lunch at our house. All of our children are grown and married, but they all gather to eat at our table on Sundays. I assumed our grocery bill would go down after the kids left home... it hasn't. They went out and multiplied and returned in greater numbers.

I lovingly refer to them as the "holy horde." They descend upon our house like locusts every weekend and do not leave until the cupboards are bare.

But Robin and I wouldn't have it any other way. We want our house to be a place of hospitality and peace for our growing family. We love being together. We love the happy chaos of a house filled with the smells of home cooking and the sounds of love and laughter.

There is a kind of peace that settles over me at these Sunday lunches at home. As we sit crowded around our dining room table, I have few words left (After preaching at two services every Sunday morning, I'm out of words). But that doesn't stop me from enjoying all the loud conversation that bounces around our table (Have you seen a family where everyone talks at the same time?). I don't know if it's the fatigue from a great effort on Sunday mornings or the fullness of having just eaten my wife's cooking, but a feeling of peace and satisfaction comes over me that is hard to describe.

The Hebrew word for "peace" is "shalom." In Israel and in other Middle Eastern countries the word is used as a greeting and for saying goodbye. They say, "Shalom" as a kind of blessing on the hearer. The word has several layers of meaning. It certainly means to be free from warfare or worry. It may also include the state of mind that is at rest and is experiencing complete contentment. This kind of peace is only experienced as a gift from God.

This past Sunday when everyone at our table was talking, only two were silent... me and my grandson, Nathaniel. I had already talked enough and Nate hasn't even started talking yet.

We kept our peace at the end of the table.

Took some leaders to Catalyst

We're having a great time together at Catalyst 09 in Atlanta, Georgia. Nine of us WCCers joined about 12,000 other Christian leaders for a couple of days of leadership level encouragement.

Today, we heard from Andy Stanley, Rob Bell, Coach Tony Dungy, Francis Chan... It's like drinking from a fire hydrant. We didn't get back to the hotel until nearly 11 PM and now I'm too tired to blog much.

Our WCC team is full of vigor though. We do conferences just like we do church... first ones there and the last ones to leave. Tonight, we walked like a mile to stand in line and eat at Wendys and then rushed back so we wouldn't miss anything. Not one complaint.

What a great team and a great conference.

Who loves most?

"A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." (Luke 7:41-43 NASB).

When my daughter was young we had a bedtime ritual that involved a competition of declaring who loved the most.

"Good night Erin. I love you." I'd say, beginning the nightly ritual.

"Good night Daddy, I love you MORE!" She'd say, while leaning over my recliner to kiss my offered cheek.

"No, I love you the MOST!" I'd reply, quickly turning my face towards her, surprising her into kissing me on the lips (she still holds onto my face when she kisses me on the cheek to avoid this surprising possibility).

"No Daddy. I love you the MOSTEST! She'd exclaim. "I love you this much!" She'd quickly add, while extending her arms outward as far as she could reach.

Jesus once told a story about the one who would love God most. He said that the one who was "forgiven most" would love most.

According to Jesus, our capacity for love is measured by our receptivity for and awareness of God's forgiveness. When we recognize our own great need for forgiveness and receive the gift of Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sin, we become recipients of his great love. Receiving this great forgiveness opens our hearts to God's love for us, and through us to others.

So, who loves most?

Has He marked you?

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13 NIV).

"You look just like your dad." The cashier at the Sears & Roebuck in downtown Bristol said to me, while pointing at my father.

I was five years old. I was visiting the Sears where my dad worked as a department manager.

"You have big, brown eyes just like his." She continued, as she waved at us as we passed.

"Thank you." I said, sticking my chest out and walking hand and hand with my dad through the store (According to man-code, it's still OK to hold hands with your dad at age five).

My mother used to say that my father "marked me." And I guess he did. I still have his brown eyes, but as I've gotten older I've noticed that my mother "marked me" pretty good too.

Are you "marked" by anyone?

This coming Sunday we're launching a new series entitled: "9 Marks of Authentic Christians." We'll be looking at the "fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5. The word "fruit" is singular, but there are nine traits or marks of this fruit.

Authentic Christianity is often defined by the following "B" words: believe, belong, behave, and become. Many disagree on the order of these and on which should come first. They're all important, but perhaps the one that has contributed most to the accusation of "Christians being hypocrites" has come from one that is often lacking. This one has to do with character. It has to do with becoming like Christ.

You can say that you believe and belong. You can even follow the Christian rules and behave religiously. But you can't fake the character thing. You either have your Father's character, or you don't. You're either marked by the Spirit of God... or you're not.

Love, joy, peace... these are the marks of a life filled with the Spirit of God and marked by His character.

While I'm glad that my parents marked me, I'm more hopeful that I'll grow to become more like Jesus. I want to be marked by Him.

Under construction

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit" (1 John 4:12-13 NIV).

I'm a project guy. I love dreaming up, planning, and implementing a project, seeing it come to life... and completion. I especially love it when I finish something and finish it well.

Strangely enough, that's why I don't mind mowing the yard. Even though its a weekly kind of maintenance, I still love doing it because I can immediately see what I've done. I enjoy the result. And I love showing the result of my labors to others.

"Hey Robin, did you notice the yard when you came in?" I ask my wife, while sticking out my chest.

"Yes, Honey, it looks great. Definitely the best looking lawn on the street!" She responds with wifely appreciation.

I wish I could see the results of following Christ and making disciples as readily. I labor and work and sometimes I can't tell if anything is being accomplished. In fact, some days it appears we may have lost ground.

But I'm learning. I'm learning that it's not my job to finish, it's God's. It's His Spirit that is at work in me and in the flock that I pastor. God is doing a work in us and He will bring it to completion.

So, if it's God's job to finish the "Gary" project, then what's my part?

I must yield and let Him work. I must yield every area of my life to His control, surrendering and submitting all to HIm. Asking HIm to mold and make me after His will.

Completion. In the Greek, it's the word teleios, which could be translated perfected, finished, having reached the goal. I'm glad God is in charge of this. He is working in us to make us like His Son.

Until then, we're under construction.

Pick me, Lord!

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7 NIV).

Watching my nephews (Ryan #12 and Michael in blue) play football earlier this week reminded me of my younger days...

"Pick me!" I shouted at my friend, Gordon, as he surveyed the boys lined up and waving their hands for selection.

"I pick Combs." Gordon said, while pointing me out.

I loved playing football during afternoon recess in the fifth grade. But I hated the time of picking teams. It was nerve-wracking. You never knew when you might be chosen last. And to be chosen last was basically to be rejected all together.

"OK. I guess we'll take Combs." The boy picking might say as he realized that I was the last remaining team applicant.

I had been the "last guy" before and that's why I was always happy to see my friend Gordon (who was a popular athelete) as one of the team captains. Gordon would always choose me first, even though we both knew that I wasn't one of the top draft picks. He would choose me because we were friends, not because of my football skills (At 4' 10" and 75 pounds, I wasn't exactly the guy you wanted blocking for you).

That's why I'm glad that Jesus is my friend. I don't have the skill set to "master" sin and live a life that pleases God, but Jesus does. I don't have to be anxious about whether God will choose me or not. God is pleased with His Son. If I am in Christ, then God is pleased with me and accepts me too.

This makes me want to respond the way the prophet Isaiah did when he had a vision that the Lord was picking teams, Isaiah replied, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

And so, I too lift my hand and shout, "Pick me, Lord! Pick me!"

Playing Mr. Rogers

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:13-16 NIV).

This past Sunday I worked in the WCC children's ministry during both services. As adults and as leaders we can sometimes lose sight of how the world looks from a child's perspective. It's easy to forget the kids. But I'm convinced that you can tell a lot about a person, a family, or a church by the way they treat the children.

The truth of the matter is that most of us made commitments to follow Christ before we turned 12 years old. In fact, most missionaries and pastors felt a sense of call before their 16th birthday. Children and young people are willing to make life long commitments to Christ.

We spend a lot of time, money, and effort on offering a quality worship experience for our adults at WCC. But a greater opportunity for Kingdom impact may really be with the children's ministry. That's why we're ramping things up in our children's ministry. Even though working with kids is an unseen ministry (to the adults attending), we're convinced that Christ takes notice.

This past Sunday, we handed off the preaching responsibility to a member of our teaching team. Believe me, I don't give up the pulpit easily. I love to preach! But I wanted to model to the church how important our kids are to us (I was actually nervous with excitement on Sunday morning to work with the kids).

We interrupted the adult worship a couple of times with video reports of how "Pastor Gary is doing" in the children's department. Everyone seemed to love it!

Now, I have people coming up to me and calling me Mr. Rogers. Perhaps a job at PBS is in my future, if only I can find a sweater I like.