No Rest for the Weary

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.  He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it…  -  Mark 7:24

Tyre was a town on the coast of Phoenicia.  It was north-west of Jesus’ normal stomping grounds.  From the context of Mark’s gospel this little excursion up north to the coast of the Mediterranean was a break, a get away, a vacation.  Humans were designed for rest from the very beginning.  God rested from his works of creation not as a result of weariness, but for the purpose of delight in what he had made.  Rest, in the biblical sense is not laziness, it is worship. 

Honestly, my day off (Friday for the most part) is filled with non-stop activity.  Weeds and my golf swing both need attending too.  I’m exhausted when Friday evening rolls around.  Part of learning to rest in the Biblical sense means stopping.  It means being still enough to quietly delight in God’s world, in God’s word, in God’s grace, and in God’s presence.  But we live in a manic culture.  Everything has an immediacy of its own.  Rest, true rest, worshipful rest, goes against our every inclination.  Even when we do take rest, it is often void of stillness.  And stillness is where we experience God.  God is the still point in our manic world.  To know Christ, is to walk away from our nets filled with their hundreds of flopping, writhing, attention grabbing  fish to become consumed with the King who calls us to follow him.

Spending a week at the beach in Florida with my wife’s family was a great reminder to me of how poorly it is that I practice true rest.  I went away, had a good time with family and came back tan, but not rested.  I was not still while I was away. 

You see, intimacy with God will always be a struggle.  Adam and Eve took the fruit, they immediately recognized their sin, covered themselves out of shame and hid.  God expelled them from the garden.  Naturally being in God’s presence in the stillness of that perfect garden would never happen again.  We are out of the garden.  We are in the sweatshop of a fallen world.  It will never be easy to steal away and be still.  God had to command “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”  It is our inclination to forget Sabbath, to neglect rest, and to hustle away the stillness. 

Knowing Christ means following him to Tyre.  It means refusing to let our own inclinations for maniacal living to keep us from that abiding stillness with our savior who is our only access back to the garden.  The passage in Mark 7 ends this way: “… yet he could not keep his presence a secret.  In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.”  That rings true doesn’t it!  Sounds about like my vacation.  True worshipful rest will never be easy.  But it will always be good. 

In Christ - Scott Castleman                  

Healthy Pastors?

I recently came across some comments and statistics published in the New York Times in August of last year.  After noting that, “Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans.  In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen.  Many would change jobs if they could . . .” several statistics were given such as:

• 45% of pastors say that they have experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.

• 52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family’s well-being and health.

• 70% do not have any close friends.

• 75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.

• 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.

• 94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.

• 1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.

Now, for all I know there are similar statistics to be cited for teachers or factory workers or corporate lawyers and stay-at-home parents.  But the fact that these statistics focus on pastors, whom one might think would have the kind of life priorities to exhibit a healthier picture of life, is quite startling.

Which makes me wonder . . . if you are a pastor and find any of these statistics hitting close to home, what are you doing to reverse those trends in your life?

If you are a church leader and sense your pastor is described in some of these statistics, how might you be supportive to reverse those trends in his or her life?

Grace to you - Steve Ebling 

Salt and Light

As I write this blog post I find myself a bit tired; not by long and arduous work but rather tired by the little things demanding attention that I feel rob me of greater focus on those tasks which to my mind seem more significant.  In every redeemed heart God places, as a part of his redemptive work, a desire for significance.  Indeed, it was Christ who looked at those following him faithfully and said, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”  Salt and light make a difference whenever they are found.  Salt and light are significant, noticeable, impacting.  

Today is a day in which I don’t feel salty or bright.  Perhaps today is a day in which you don’t feel particularly significant in the role God is calling you to play in the consummation of his kingdom.  But it is on the days that feel dim and saltless that we need to allow our theology to convince us of that which our feelings cannot.  Our feelings of spiritual insignificance are rooted in guilt and shame that come not from God but from his enemy the devil. 

How many times have you thought that you weren’t a “good Christian” or that you needed to do more for God?  Most of us are familiar with those ideas.  Those ideas of a “good Christian” and “doing more for God” are rooted in the false thinking that our significance, our saltiness and light are somehow things that we are ultimately responsible for.  And yet scripture teaches us that our spiritual condition is not based on some kind of external activity but rather on the internal reality of our redemption.  The wandering and wasteful son thought he was no longer his father’s because of his actions.  But it was the father who puts a robe on his back, sandals on his feet, and the family signet on his finger that lets him know he never stopped being his son.

So it is with us.  You don’t feel salty and bright.  How you “feel” about that does not change the fact that Jesus has called you both.  You ARE the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  So you “feel” like you have wandered and squandered away your status as God’s child.  It is not so!  You have been adopted and you are God’s own.  You cannot undo that.

It is in our striving to be significant that we lose sight of the fact that we already are- not because of what we have done or will do but because of what Jesus has done for us.  The key to living in the reality of our significance is in the irony of being still and simply knowing that God is God and that we are his.  So I sit bleary eyed and tired behind a keyboard desiring to do more.  But the truth is I am salty and bright, I am God’s son.  And no amount of activity or inactivity can change that.  Praise the Lord!

Grace and Truth - Scott Castleman  

         

Romans 16

At first glance, chapter 16 of Paul’s letter to the Romans seems like a chapter to quickly skim over.  It’s just a bunch of names!  But it’s worth our attention.  Paul comes to the end of his letter—a heavy, theological one at that—and concludes by sending personal greetings to many of the believers in Rome.  He mentions some 30 of them by name.  These aren’t names you’d recognize, in fact, most of them only appear in this chapter.  They’re not found anywhere else in the New Testament.

Paul greets people like Phoebe, Andronicus, Junia, Stachys, Phelgon, and Olympas.  None of which make any “most famous people in the Bible” lists!  Yet it’s clear from Paul’s kind greetings, these anonymous folks have made a difference in his life, and in God’s kingdom.

In a culture that makes a lot of fuss over “famous people,” here is a reminder that God’s kingdom includes a lot of rather anonymous folks just like us.  The names have changed over the years, but ordinary folks are making a difference for Christ every day.  People with names like Susan, Frank, Nicole, Bob, JoAnne and Jerry are faithfully serving Jesus in their homes, places of work, and communities.  God isn’t enamored with fame.  He’s about faithfulness. 

As a leader in the church, what are you doing to help the anonymous folks around you live faithfully in God’s kingdom?

Grace to you - Steve Ebling

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Building One Another - Vol. 10 No. 10

Dear Friend, As we approach the celebration of Palm Sunday I love to reflect on what happened as Jesus left Jericho, his final stop on the way to the trial awaiting him in Jerusalem. The story in brief: “They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus…, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside… Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here…’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.” Mark 10:46-50* When Jesus calls you go! And he is calling you – right here, right now – so go to him – open your heart to his voice. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 Bartimaeus’ story continues: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way." Mark 10:51-52 Bartimaeus is healed and Jesus says, “Go,” not to get rid of him but to send him back to a life of sight, light and joy. Bartimaeus was a free man and could have gone anywhere. He decides to follow Jesus. I love that! While Bartimaeus is not mentioned again in the New Testament, one can only assume he was a witness to the unfolding events from Palm Sunday, the teaching of Jesus in the temple to his betrayal and ultimate resurrection. When Bonhoeffer spoke of discipleship he used this language: “When Jesus calls a person to follow, he bids him come and die.” Bartimaeus would have seen first hand and early in his following of Jesus the deep suffering and highest joy that would follow.  May you and I love the Lord who loves us and follow him wherever he would lead.
With joy - E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2011 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV

Take the Adventure

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16 NRSV

Ministry is a God-calling for every believer in Jesus Christ; a God-calling that simultaneously may be exciting, scary, invigorating, frustrating, uplifting, painful and ultimately immensely rewarding. “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?” I Thessalonians 2:19 NRSV Our Lord certainly knew it; the apostles all experienced it; and so do we.

Some time ago a friend who led a publishing enterprise called to tell me he was retiring and that he was going to sell the business to me! I was rather surprised and a bit threatened by the idea, because I had spent my working life in the church and knew little about the practices of a successful business. One morning I awoke early fretting about this opportunity when the words came powerfully to mind, “Take the adventure the Lord has for you!”

I knew immediately that it was a quote from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Often when the leading characters in one of the books were about to undertake some difficult assignment they would say to each other, “Let us take the adventure Aslan has for us.” Aslan in the fictional world of Narnia represents Jesus Christ in our real world.

So I said, “Yes, Lord,” put my anxiety aside, put my trust in my Lord, and took the adventure our Lord had for me. Sure enough, there were many challenges to cope with, but there were also many moments of encouragement along the way.

Whatever is going on in your life and whatever your ministry may be, whether leading a congregation or a program, or representing our Lord in your home, neighborhood and workplace, hear these words, “take the adventure” our Lord has for you! It is Christ who lives in you and who takes with you the adventure before you.

Some questions to consider?

         What are the challenges in life and ministry in front of you?

         What excites you about them and what creates anxiety?

Will you acknowledge your fear, putting your trust in your Lord, and take the adventure the Lord has for you?

With Joy - E. Stanley Ott