Taken Up But Still Here

Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians and Luke 24:44-53

As I write this I am “up high” at Beersheba Springs Camp and Retreat Center. Grundy County. With some Kedron youth and a couple of parents. A beautiful sunshine and clouds kind of day with just enough breeze to keep you from running for the AC inside!

Up on the ridge. Elevation at about 1,847 ft. Methodists acquired the hotel in 1941 and a camp and retreat assembly has been here ever since. Thousands have worshiped here close to 70 years! Thousands have left here spiritually renewed and committed to serve others.

The place just goes with our scriptures for today! They are about the Ascension of Jesus some 40 days after Easter. He ascends into heaven. I would like to imagine Jesus here at Beersheba blessing his disciples and then departing upward past the trees and hills. It would be memorable. I suspect not entirely unlike the first century experience. It is ALL about Jesus in any age and it is about the Church “the body of Christ” as Ephesians 1:23 puts it. The images are wonderful to work with in our imagination. Jesus departs to be “in heaven and rule over all” but nonetheless Jesus is with US, in US and we are still on earth! Jesus is both “away” and “very much here.”

I look around me here at Beersheba Springs at the beauty of nature and that of God’s people at work and on retreat at this assembly grounds. I can imagine Christ above me “in heaven” but just as much can imagine Jesus in me and my neighbor and even the stranger I meet at work and play. The Church is the body of Christ. A mystery indeed but we proclaim Christ in US and look to see how we are Christ to one another.

“I lift up mine eyes into the hills……” but I also look around me to see Christ at work caring, healing, and doing justice in the here and now! Ascension of Christ Sunday….yet still we walk in faith….. on earth~+ “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Pastor Barry

Making Peace With The Past

Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:18-19

The American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr composed a profoundly simple verse that came to be known as the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Niebuhr’s words are far easier to recite than they are to live by. Why? Because most of us want life to unfold in accordance with our own wishes and timetables. But sometimes God has other plans.

One of the things that fits nicely into the category of “things we cannot change” is the past. Yet even though we know that the past is unchangeable, many of us continue to invest energy worrying about the unfairness of yesterday (when we should, instead, be focusing on the opportunities of today and the promises of tomorrow). Author, Hannah Whitall Smith observed, “How changed our lives would be if we could only fly through the days on wings of surrender and trust!” These words remind us that even when we cannot understand the past, we must trust God and accept His will.

So, if you’ve endured a difficult past, accept it and learn from it, but don’t spend too much time here in the precious present fretting over memories of the unchangeable past. Instead, trust God’s plan and look to the future. After all, the future is where everything that’s going to happen to you from this moment on is going to take place.

The past is past, so don’t live there. If you’re focused on the past, change your focus. If you’re living in the past, it’s time to stop living there, starting now.

Shake the dust from your past, and move forward in His promises. – Kay Arthur

Whoever you are, whatever your condition or circumstance, whatever your past or problem, Jesus can restore you to wholeness. – Anne Graham Lotz

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Hope Amidst Suffering

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

There are times when we are so confused and overwhelmed by the pain in our lives that we wish we could die. No matter what we do, we are powerless to change things for the better. The weight of the sadness seems too heavy to bear. We can’t see why our heart just doesn’t break and allow death to free us.

Job felt that way. He’d lost everything, even though he had always done what was right. His ten children were dead. He had lost his business, his riches, and his health. And all this happened in a matter of days! He was left with a sharp-tongued wife and three friends who blamed him for his own misfortune. Job cried out, “If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales. . . . Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire. I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.. . . . I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for. Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze? No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success” (Job 6:2, 8-9, 11-13).

Job didn’t know that the end of his life would be even better than it had been at the beginning. God restored everything he had lost, and then some. “Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life” (Job 42:17). Even when we’re pressed to the point of death, there is still hope that our lives will change. Our recovery could be so complete that the final line written about us might read: “Then they died, having lived long, full lives.” We must remember: life can be good again! The key is trusting that things will get better.

Trusting God in difficult times will stretch our faith.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

The Secret to Spiritual Success

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are fooling yourselves

Have you ever had one of those days when it seemed as though everyone was smiling, maybe even laughing, at you? Then you saw yourself in the mirror and discovered why. You had something stuck in your teeth. No wonder they were smiling.

The mirror just told you the truth about yourself, and you saw what everyone else was seeing. Then you had a choice: ignore the problem and leave it there, or clean yourself up.

The Bible is a lot like a mirror; it tells us the truth about ourselves. James wrote, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (James 1:22–24 NLT).

It is not simply a matter of hearing God’s Word; it is doing what it says. The Bible must be our model for how we think and live. Problems will happen, family conflicts will happen, temptations will happen, sickness will happen, or something else may come our way. We can’t control that. But if we are in God’s Word and walking closely with Him and in fellowship with His people, then we will have the resources we need to face those challenges as they come. And challenges will come our way.

Dedicate yourself to worshipping God, confessing your sins, and hearing the Word of God. God’s Word has something to say to you. Spend time in it in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. Continue in the Word of God. That is the secret to spiritual success. Just do your part, and then watch how the Lord will bless you and how your spiritual life will grow.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

The New Jerusalem and Lydia’s Home

Acts 16:9-15, Revelation 21:10, 22-27; 22:1-5 and John 14:23-29

When Paul shows up in Philippi after being diverted from parts of Asia Minor, he and his missionary team stay with a God fearing Gentile named Lydia. Both good and not so good events happen: conversions, baptisms, but also jail and beatings.

An interesting note this close to our Memorial Day is the fact that Philippi was a Roman colony of retired army veterans! Since the new Christian fellowship took hold there, Paul fondly writes and entire epistle to them later in his life. I would think that many new Christians there were Roman army veterans!

If Philippi is an example of God’s spirit moving with a population over time, the passage from Revelation is a glimpse of the Final City of God ( The New Jerusalem) with its marvelous vision of peace and healing for all nations. The bright light from the New Holy City shines, so to speak, backward and impacts Philippi with the generosity of Lydia and the spiritual transformation of many including her household!

Whenever we read of the future New Heaven and New Earth we should always consider how that vision and promise should awaken us in the here and now. What COULD be presently if we trust God to be at work now as well as in total fulfillment ahead of us! That bright future shines “backward” on us in our “cities and homes” even now.

Let us remember this Sunday our dead (alive in Christ), especially those who died in service to their country. Let us trust God to “make all things new” in the “healing of the nations.”

Pastor Barry

Making the Most of our Mistakes

Instead, God has chosen the world’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world’s weak things to shame the strong. – 1 Corinthians 1:27

Everybody makes mistakes, and so will you. In fact, Winston Churchill once observed, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” What was good for Churchill is also good for you, too. You should expect to make mistakes—plenty of them—but you should not allow those missteps to rob you of the enthusiasm you need to fulfill God’s plan for your life.

We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world; mistakes are simply part of the price we pay for being here. But, even though mistakes are an inevitable part of life’s journey, repeated mistakes should not be. When we commit the inevitable blunders of life, we must correct them, learn from them, and pray for the wisdom not to repeat them. When we do, our mistakes become lessons, and our experiences become adventures in character-building.

When our shortcomings are made public, we may feel embarrassed or worse, we may presume (quite incorrectly) “everybody” is concerned with the gravity of our problem. And, as a consequence, we may feel the need to hide from our problems rather than confront them. To do so is wrong. Even when our pride is bruised, we must face up to our mistakes and seek to rise above them.

Have you made a king-sized blunder or two? Of course you have. But here’s the big question: have you used your mistakes as stumbling blocks or stepping stones? The answer to this question will determine how well you perform in the workplace and in every other aspect of your life. So don’t let the fear of past failures hold you back. Instead, do the character-building thing: own up to your mistakes and do your best to fix them. Remember: even if you’ve made a colossal blunder, God isn’t finished with you yet—in fact, He’s probably just getting started.

Fix it sooner rather than later: When you make a mistake, the time to make things better is now, not later! The sooner you address your problem, the better. If not now, when?

Truth will sooner come out of error than from confusion. – Francis Bacon

Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change; and when we are right, make us easy to live with. – Peter Marshall

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Crippled by the Past?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things become new”—2 Corinthians 5:17

On the television series Fixer Upper, which ran for five seasons, Chip and Joanna Gaines would choose an old house in Central Texas and give it a new beginning. Sometimes the house was for a young couple getting their first home, and sometimes it was for a retired couple looking for somewhere new. Joanna, the designer, came up with amazing plans, and her husband, Chip, the builder, implemented them. When they were finished, it was hard to believe that it was the same house.

Have you ever wished you could start over again, maybe in your marriage . . . maybe in your relationship with your children . . . maybe with friends? In a way you can, because 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).

As the J.B. Phillips translation puts it, “For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.”

God can do that for your life. You say, “It’s messed up. It’s broken down. It’s falling apart.”

It can become new and fresh in Jesus Christ. It tells us in 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (NKJV). Notice it says all sin—not just some sin.

You, too, can have a new beginning. It can start now. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is. It can all change because of the blood of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be crippled by your past anymore. You can put it behind you.

No matter what you are going through remember you can start again today! May God bless each of you!

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

An Endless Line of Splendor

Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6 and John 13:31-35

This Sunday is Heritage Sunday. We look back to remember what we have inherited as Christians, Methodists in particular, and from whom we have inherited e.g. the founding Wesley brothers, circuit riding Francis Asbury, and even our parents and those before.

We are not self-made men and women nor, as people of faith, can we say we “pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps.” We are who we are by the grace of God and the varied gifts we have received from generation to generation.

This Sunday our scriptures celebrate the doors of the church being thrown wide open in the first century (Acts 11:1-18) inviting all peoples and nations to be grafted into the people of God known as Israel. Love will be the key (John 13:31-35) and the final home a New Heaven and a New Earth (Revelation 21:1-6).

The endless line of splendor ends in the fullness of God’s love! By faith, let’s jump in line and by faith stay in line! We might be surprised who you are walking with and amazed at the life stories of each. We will retell this Sunday some of those faith filled stories e.g. John Wesley’s experience at Aldersgate Chapel on May 24, 1738. We may well hear of great moments coming out of Kedron and Locks Memorial. Better yet we hope to remember that in God’s unfolding work in history we will STILL see “Gods spirit poured upon all flesh….sons and daughters shall prophesy….we will see visions….we shall dream dreams…..” Acts 2:17 quoting Joel 2:28-32!

See you soon in worship as we commune with all the Saints, The Church Triumphant At Rest and the Church Still At Work!

Pastor Barry

Forward Progress

But Jesus said to him, “ No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62

It took God one night to get Israel out of Egypt. But it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. The Israelites were always looking back.

Some Christians are that way. They’re always looking back. They say, “Remember the good old days—you know, before I was a Christian? Man, we would party! We had so much fun!”

Really? Were they, in fact, the good old days? Were they as good as they thought they were? Or is their memory a little distorted? Have they forgotten the emptiness? Have they forgotten the despondency? Have they forgotten the repercussions of the things they did? Have they forgotten that dull ache deep inside? Have they forgotten the havoc it brought on their family? They’ve conveniently forgotten about that and remember the few good times they had.

That is what the Israelites were doing. They were always looking back. But before we judge them, let’s realize that we’ve done the same thing. This is why Jesus said, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62 NKJV).

Have you ever been driving along and had the highway patrol pull up behind you? It makes you nervous, doesn’t it? Do you slow down, even if you’re doing the speed limit? And if they happen to slow down, do you slow down even more?

You can’t live in two worlds. You can’t go forward when you’re looking back. And you can’t walk forward spiritually if you’re always looking over your shoulder. World changers see opportunities, but those who are changed by this world see obstacles. World changers see bridges, but those who are changed by this world see walls. It’s all in how you look at things.

May each of us look forward to what God is going to do next in our lives!

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Crippled by the Past?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things become new”—2 Corinthians 5:17

On the television series Fixer Upper, which ran for five seasons, Chip and Joanna Gaines would choose an old house in Central Texas and give it a new beginning. Sometimes the house was for a young couple getting their first home, and sometimes it was for a retired couple looking for somewhere new. Joanna, the designer, came up with amazing plans, and her husband, Chip, the builder, implemented them. When they were finished, it was hard to believe that it was the same house.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things become new”—2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you ever wished you could start over again, maybe in your marriage . . . maybe in your relationship with your children . . . maybe with friends? In a way you can, because 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV).

As the J.B. Phillips translation puts it, “For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.”

God can do that for your life. You say, “It’s messed up. It’s broken down. It’s falling apart.”

It can become new and fresh in Jesus Christ. It tells us in 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (NKJV). Notice it says all sin—not just some sin.

You, too, can have a new beginning. It can start now. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is. It can all change because of the blood of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be crippled by your past anymore. You can put it behind you.

No matter what you are going through remember you can start again today! May God bless each of you!

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob