June 28, 2016

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.”  1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

Being a jogger myself, I have known the problem of trying to decide what to do with my stuff while I am running. The problem has become even more of a concern with the advent of so many devices that we can use while we run. Some people drive their cars to a track to run, or to an area that has more challenges like hills, etc. and so there is the need to have some kind of pouch or belt to keep your keys. The fitness belt that I spied in the Dollar Spot section of my favorite store is just one of those helpers. Some of these belts even have a spot to fit a water bottle, for the jogger who is going on the extra long run.

The endurance that is necessary for the Christian journey is compared to a race. And in some places it is also tagged with a sense of real urgency. When Jesus says “Let the dead bury the dead, you go proclaim the kingdom of G-d” he is talking about that urgency. Not only are we to persevere, we are to run with all our might, and we are to do it now, without concern for any other priorities. And what are we to take for that journey? Nothing – not a belt, not an extra set of jogging shoes or clothes, nothing.

This message is difficult for most Americans to hear, and that message is “un-encumbrance”. There is nothing that is to hinder us, to distract us, or to impede us. And we have a lot of things in this country that we have been told that we cannot do without – a lot of stuff that we are constantly told we need to survive. If we are to follow Jesus the way that G-d intends, then we have to shed a lot of stuff – and that makes most of us nervous. But, in the end, what will become of that stuff? We won’t know because we will have met our ultimate demise. So, instead of concerning ourselves with stuff, Jesus says concern yourselves with the kingdom of G-d. That, my friends, will take a lot of thought, prayer, and devotion – maybe even a lifetime of devotion….but this journey has a great reward at the end.

Pastor Dave

June 27, 2016

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.…”  Matthew 14:22-24

We have become so dependent upon our electronic devices that we always need to have a charger at hand, because we cannot survive if they happen to lose battery power. It is a fact that once a week, in my home, someone is looking for a phone charger that they have either lost or someone has borrowed. It is a constant search. The truth of the matter is that we have lost so many chargers that we will find the cheapest one to buy because we are always buying a new one. And so, I was thrilled to spy a cheap phone charger in the Dollar Spot section the other day. The real hidden truth that really bugs me, is the fact that the manufacturers of these devices keep changing them, in small annoying ways, requiring us to constantly buy new chargers. In fact I have two baskets full of chargers at home that no longer have a device to go with them.

So, our children often ask “What did people do in the “olden days” when they didn’t have the electronic devices we have for entertainment?” Well, they found other ways to entertain themselves. They played board games, they played card games, they watched movies, and they actually talked to one another. Did you know that there is now an “APP” you can put on your phone to remind you to talk or play with your kids every so often? That is a sad commentary on our lives, yes?

So, what did Jesus do to recharge his batteries, so to speak? He usually found a quiet place to pray. He went up the mountain, or in the garden and started texting with G-d – that is texting the old-fashioned way – prayer. Just like our devices always need recharging, well my friends, so do we. We need time to recharge our faith batteries by going to G-d in quiet, thoughtful and un-interrupted prayer. Try it some time.

Pastor Dave