Faith Fellowship Cookeville News

Memories in Bits and Pieces

2009-11-06T14:44:17-06:00

I am sometimes amazed at the things people tell me they can remember. Some boast vivid memories of early childhood in the “say that again” category. While I often chalk these up to revisionist history, I don’t wish to damage anyone’s reputation as a child prodigy. I can only say that I see much of my early life through a mist. Some things are a living memory, but most flash across my mindscape only occasionally with their mixed messages of joy and grief.

It has been said that what we call a “gut reaction” is actually pattern recognition. We have seen something before, and, though it is not in conscious memory, we respond according to our past experience. Like pieces of a puzzle, the small events of our lives fit together making us what we are. These pieces tell our story collectively. It is a mistake to think that you can understand the totality of a person by a portion of their lives.

So, I remember things in a “here and there” fashion. It is not an intentional selection of memory but perhaps a natural selection. A life of small deeds is yet a life, and the deeds of a lifetime are quite significant. I sometimes try to rebuild from here events long-past and find the blueprint was lost in a move.

It’s easy to lose the primacy of the spiritual life- even for those of us who have made it our vocation. So many things vie for our attention, and it’s frustrating to live in the natural world. As we look back, I believe it’s important that we see the movement of God in our lives as a continual thing. Understand it or not, God is moving, but we need to be able to recall the ways in which He has worked on our behalf to give verve to our belief.

The spiritual life is a journey. Seeming small events and forks in the road bring us on our way and forge our destination. Many biblical writers successfully used their memories of past victories to help them in crisis. We can do the same thing if our spiritual lives are active and fresh. Believers throughout history have been urged to keep God’s works in memory against times of discouragement. We are part of the spiritual continuum.

Time in reflection is not wasted time. Without it, we lose our bearings. For spirituality to live, we must nurture and fuel its memories. As this becomes true in your life, I want it to be true in mine. The steps we take today are the memories of tomorrow.

Sterl

Love Hurts

2009-10-30T15:56:18-06:00

It is an inconvenient truth that love and pain walk hand-in-hand. When we think of the many ways love enriches our lives, we must include the fact that it teaches us to hurt. While I’ve never seen anyone in the emergency room over a “love attack,” I believe the heart’s sorrow is every bit as real. Forensics aside, it may be that some die of a broken heart.

The range of the emotion is certainly in question. There is a difference between “the sweet ache that will not go away” and the heartbreak when love dies and relationships end. Love for a vocation or dream is different from the love for family. People can love on different levels without doing injustice to the emotion.

Love hurts because love is complicated. When it comes to people, it’s sometimes hard to understand the ground rules. There can be a great joy in the fluidity of love, but it’s hard to stand in a slippery place. I once took a class on the four love languages. I stuttered through them all. We see love differently, so you see the problem.

Love hurts because love is inconvenient. Something must be set aside for love’s sake because all love demands sacrifice. But because a sacrifice is loving does not mean it is easy or without conflict. Many times an inconvenience for the sake of love will be painful. Since (as Robert Frost said) “way leads to way,” we may never regain what was lost for love.

Love hurts because love involves risk. Uncertainty is the nature of risk. Love demands a venture. There is a certain thrill to travel with an unknown destination, but many ships lose all on the high seas. What we do for love may greatly benefit us in the short-range, but we don’t know that for sure. Love uses binoculars.

Scripture says, “Christ’s love compels us.” There is a constant pull in the life of a believer toward Christ. As our relationship with Him deepens, His goals become our goals- likewise, His virtues. Learning to love (with all its ramifications) becomes and remains a work in progress for each believer. It is presently active but always growing.

Christ endured the cross for the joy of a future reality. His great love for us brought Him suffering in the short-term. With this in mind, perhaps we should look long-range with regard to perseverance and pain. Simultaneously, Jesus knew He was making a difference for all eternity. Love is patient in its application.

The loss that loves incurs is temporary. The value it instills is eternal. Its accomplishments adorn the halls of eternity. Love and loss are ever a part of our present lives. One day we will know how forever feels. We will understand that loving God and loving people were the only things that really mattered.

Sterl

He Wants to Dream Like a Young Man With the Wisdom of an Old Man

2009-10-23T14:59:09-06:00

When I was young, I thought I was older than I was. Now that I am old, I think that I am younger than I am. These thoughts are proved by my actions at the specified times. In youth, I exercised myself in things too great for me. In age, I try to recapture the things that are gone. To quote a television icon, “Makes ya’ think.” Solomon said it’s meaningless to chase the wind.

No matter where we are, we want to be somewhere else. We’re like cows leaving the pasture behind to graze through the fence. This is not merely a spatial concept. The same is true of station in life and all the immaterial things that go along with that. We want to be old and young simultaneously. Rather, older folks do because they’ve seen life from both sides while the young reach out to the unknown.

You just can’t have it all. The Bible tells us that all things have their time. God can be everything (and everywhere) at once, but we are linear. One thing follows and drives out what was before. This is a frustration to us but a natural part of every life. There are seasons in living. If we can understand that, perhaps we can accept it- even embrace it. Maybe, there can be joy in change or even loss.

It is true that I am dying, but I am also growing. We often think of losing things in the passage of time, but many of those had a short shelf-life anyway. Few things having to do with normal, earthly living last very long, let alone are eternal. There is a trade-off in everything, and we swap the zest of youth for experience and know-how.

Beth Moore said that when her children left home she thought the house would be empty. Instead, she found that it was full of memories. There are so many things pressed between the pages of my mind that I wouldn’t trade for any mile run or bouncing ball. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been dangerous. But I didn’t then, and I’m not now. God and time moved me along.

Wisdom is found in numbering our days, and realizing the fragility of life. These thoughts should lead us to seek our Maker for we will surely meet Him one day. We must treasure time. It is the stuff of life. Realizing this begs the question, “What does God want me to do with my life at this stage and with the time I have left?”

Time waits for no one. This being true, its waste is the greatest of losses. I wasn’t everything I wanted to be in days gone by (and I’m not now), but it’s not over yet. When I consider the years I will live in eternity, I’m quite young. So, I’ve got a lot of living to do. I may not be everything I want to be, but God’s concern is that I be what I should to be. Help me, Lord. Help us all.

Sterl

Show Me the Way

2009-10-16T12:22:26-06:00

Having been raised in a churched environment, it took some time before I realized the true degree to which society in general is affected by religious institutions. The current state of affairs with regard to the church and biblical knowledge reflects a great decline from the days of my youth. Since the fall from grace is continual, there is a danger in overstatement, but our culture has become unchurched in my lifetime. I seldom make a great distinction between biblical knowledge and church attendance since the two are so closely linked. Indeed, the Bible says the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

Today, there is a great mistrust among many with regard to religious organizations. I have said that people who dislike organized religion will like our church since we’re not that organized. That is somewhat facetious but largely truthful. As with many things, we sometimes have to make a distinction between what people have made the church and what Christ can make the church. When Adam fell, everything fell, and that includes the greatest intentions of the best people. We ought not throw the baby out with the bathwater because the church bears the message of Christ.

Suffice it to say that the clearly understood message of Christ is disappearing from the collective consciousness. There is a great need for those who know Jesus to personally explain His sacrifice for the salvation of mankind as a part of God’s amazing plan of redemption to others. We called this witnessing in a former day. In the book of Acts, Philip spoke to a man who was reading the Scripture saying, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” The sad truth is that most people don’t know what they need to know.

I love to tell the story. It has been a goal of mine to be a consistent testimony for Christ in word and deed. I believe this to be the great calling of every Christian. Sometimes, I fear when I consider my certain judgment by God, but I am also looking forward to that day. Though I will be saved by the blood of Christ, I know my heart will break when He reviews my sin and selfishness. At the culmination of the age, I hope to be near enough to hear someone say to Jesus, “I did not know You until he came to my house and showed me the way.”

Sterl

Life’s Been Good to Me So Far

2009-10-09T14:25:46-06:00

When I was a younger man, I didn’t take much time to reflect. Now, there were times when I was downright soulful, but, on the whole, I was just living my life and moving too quickly to gather much moss. Reflection didn’t do much to change things anyway, so I had to keep moving. Add on the responsibilities of a young family, and there you have it. Can’t cry over spilled milk. I was aware that time was passing, but there seemed to be a lot of it. Now, I regret even the minutes I threw away.

Though you often here it, it’s not that the young think they’re invincible. It’s that they don’t have the experience for true reflection, and they see endless possibilities. Life’s limitations don’t rear their heads until we are well into adulthood. That is both the triumph and tragedy of youth. Not old enough to know better and too young to care. As all the young do, I thought I was wise beyond my years and capable beyond my scope.

With the weight of years comes a creeping uncertainty. A sense of dissatisfaction follows when we understand that not all our lives went according to plan. I saw this in others many years before I began to feel it in myself. In our lives, misfortunes combine with misdeeds and misunderstandings producing the hopeless feeling Solomon expressed as he lamented, “It’s all empty anyway.” This sadness comes to all people at some time regardless of their station in life.

Years ago, I heard a preacher say, “No matter where you are in life, God’s been good to you!” I’d have to say that’s true. Our reflections on the hardness of the world can lead to a downward spiral resulting in a tailspin. The tailspin becomes a free fall we can’t get out of because the engine won’t start. We become myopic, and you need glasses for that. It is good that we have been reminded in recent years through the written and spoken word that life is not all about us.

I only got hit by one car. I’ve been missed by thousands. God’s protective hand has been over me, and that I know for a fact. He’s protected me from Satan, others and myself. Just as His blood has covered all my sins, goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life. I’m still bumbling along, but I’ve got a good wife and two sons of which I’m extremely proud. I’ve got great friends, and my church loves me. It ain’t all been grand, but it’s all worked together for good.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but it’s been good so far. I’ve had a lot of heartache in my life, but I’ve had a lot of fun, too. They say I’m crazy, but I have a good time. I regret my mistakes and often mourn, but I believe in redemption, and I know the power of God. The grace that God has extended to me is available to everyone without a lecture if it is sought with humility and contrition. I’m not a person that goes around talking about being blessed, but I am- and you can be, too.

Sterl

Yesterday When I Was Young

2009-10-02T19:09:32-06:00

Recently, my wife and I spent a few days in the western region of North Carolina. We were able to spend some time at The Cove, a retreat grounds maintained by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, enjoying Bible teaching, the beautiful scenery and Christian fellowship. The Cove holds in memory the vast ministry of Billy Graham and his team, but exists primarily as a testimony to the work of God in our day. Later, we were able to tour Biltmore, the historic Vanderbilt home, which stands as a monument to the opulence of the upper crust. I don’t begrudge anyone their success, but I thought the money invested at The Cove was better spent.

As Biltmore was building, the grounds were not nearly as lush as they are today. Much of the immediate area around the castle was greatly eroded by rains and the like. The idea struck that, if the property were managed to a point, nature would take over and create a forest. Millions of trees were imported and planted, but the builders and architects knew that it would be many years, perhaps even one hundred, before the grand vision of natural beauty was realized. What we see today is the product of what was begun over a century ago. Many things in life are like that- not much in the short-term but greatly beneficial in the passage of time.

The things that come to me today are greatly a product of where I have been and what I have done in the past. It is a wise person that can peer into the mist of the future and discern somewhat of the course. We can take the advice of the well-lived, but Scripture is a surer guide. God’s Word tells us we will reap what we sow, and that this law cannot be abrogated. Since God has set this law in motion, to defy it is to mock Him. What I want to come to my children, I must sow in my own life. So it is with my service to God. I must have a dream that stretches beyond my lifetime.

On return from my excursion, I received news that an elderly woman had reached the end of her struggle. She passed from death to life in the ultimate sense. I went to the humble home she shared with her husband and large family to speak with those who had attended her last days. One ceiling at Biltmore is seventy feet high. Hers was scarcely seven feet. As we stood around the bed in which her temple still lay, the family wept as they thanked God and praised the name of Jesus. The tapestries of Biltmore are woven with gold and silver threads, but they said the place to which she had gone had streets of gold.

I believe I know who is really rich. Those who have sown a good life and cultivated a pure faith have a hope beyond price. It takes hold in this life and carries over into the next. And the monuments they leave are not concrete in one sense but more substantial in another. Their influence is written on the hearts of we who have known them. They have been workers, builders, architects, agrarians (name it) in the great cause of all eternity. It’s not too late to get in on the act. Start where you are and use the gifts you have for God. If you have some doubt as to whether it’s worth it- follow the money.

Sterl

Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself

2009-09-25T11:01:20-06:00

One thing none of us is any good at is being someone else. Some tolerate it better than others, but no one is a genuine success at it. There are many reasons for this, but one is certainly that the attempt is a betrayal of self. This may seem a simple observation to you, but I am constantly amazed at how everyone looks different. God made us that way. Different. And the differences are throughout our beings, seen and unseen. I believe that God did this in part because His greatness and glory cannot be defined and portrayed to the world through one likeness. God is big.

Many of us try or have tried to emulate others as we have gone through the self-defining stages of life. There may be some truth in that for awhile we don’t know who we are because we are still developing. We are learning. But the individual asserts itself rather early. The self needs direction, to be sure, but it does not need to be pressed into a temporal mold. We are sure to meet failure and frustration if we are not (in the end) self-determined. In other words, we are our best when we are allowed to be ourselves. All of this assumes that we are following God’s will and direction as sincere believers.

One reason we fail at imitation is that we really don’t know how to be anyone else. In the old Peanuts comic strip, Lucy once said to Linus, “You’ve got your shoes on the wrong feet.” Linus stared at the ground for a moment and said, “These are my feet!” My attempts looked good in the mirror but came off badly. David could not wear Saul’s armor, and you look better in your own clothes. God made us for freedom, and this is a part of it. I worked for a preacher who said, “I’d rather make my own decisions and make them wrong than have somebody else make my decisions for me.” Ditto.

You are unique. That means rare, and rare means valuable. There’s not a lot of tolerance for people who want to express their “uniqueness,” but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Be fearless, but be careful. I say that because some may be tempted to act as though the feelings of others don’t matter. Self-expression cuts both ways. I wish we understood that. Then, we could be considerate, compassionate and compelling at once. As such, we would be fulfilled- maybe even happy. Effectiveness would follow because we would be genuine in our efforts. God would bless our authentic efforts.

Sometimes, I wonder how I may have harmed others by trying to force them to be something other than themselves. I know that I have been injured by the same. Human nature, perhaps, makes us want to control our surroundings and relationships. Like a spreading tree, we tend to shade out other plants. On the other hand, I have been blessed with friends who have supported me, encouraged me and even allowed me to be myself without judgment or condescension. And they break my heart. For accepting me, I want to say, “Thank you.”

Sterl

Every Time I Try to Get Out, They Pull Me Back In

2009-09-18T15:42:16-06:00

Now, I’m a traditionalist at heart. A traditionalist is reasonably comfortable with the status quo. In spite of this admission, I’m a dreamer, too. I try to think of how things could be. If these weren’t enough, I try (read “am trying”) to be a realist, as well. No wonder I’m confused. The older I get, the more I realize that we need to be a mixed-breed if we are going to be successful and satisfied (not that I’m completely there on either count, you understand). These three overlap to keep us on course as we forge ahead.

There is wisdom in all three approaches, but each has weaknesses, as well. The salient point is knowing how to achieve the ends of progress while not forsaking applicable issues of the past. “What works” is best seen in hindsight, but we stumble if we are always looking behind. Haste makes waste on many fronts, but that doesn’t mean forward motion should be subject to undue scrutiny. “Time stands still for no man.” While we can and should learn from the past, we don’t always know how our actions will play out in the future. Sometimes, we just have to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.

While I would caution sailing into uncharted waters without a compass, there’s no sense in keeping the ship dry-docked. That’s the problem with tradition- it always counsels extreme caution. While others may understand this best in their own clime, I see it as it relates to the church. In the church world, slow change means no change. But meaningful changes in life don’t happen because we are starry-eyed. There has to be a reasoned approach to things as they are with attainable goals in the foreseeable future. Ready or not, here it comes.

Most of my adult life has been spent in the pastorate. I have come to know church culture with its positives and pitfalls. Of course, my observations are best made in the environs of the conservative movement with which I am most closely related. For years, I was dismayed at my inability to bring positive change to tradition-based organizations with little tolerance for the new kid on the block. I don’t claim to have the wisdom of Solomon, but I can read the handwriting on the wall. I chaffed under the yoke as I tried to pull the plow.

I hate to apply biblical analogies to myself, but Moses is an example of someone who tried to bring about change before its time. The note of realism often interjects itself inconveniently into our plans. My problem was I didn’t want to wait my whole life to see movement. Unfortunately, and maybe unwisely, while I was trying to change them, they were trying to change me. I never pastored a church free from the well-meaning advice of a control freak. And I never had a seasoned, older man give me advice I could use.

Not long ago, Faith Fellowship was born. As a church from the ground up, we are forging a ministry unchained. God meant for us to be free. Our simple approach is accessible and fresh, and we intend to keep it that way. We are bound by Scripture and nothing else. If this has been enjoyable for our attendees, it has been thrilling for me. There is a place in God’s service for us all where we can express ourselves under His direction. This is my place. It could be your place, too.

Sterl

Like a Complete Unknown

2009-09-11T12:34:36-06:00

The search for self-actualization and significance is so powerful and primal in life that it seduces everyone. Though some to a greater and some a lesser degree, each individual covets recognition. This is not entirely evil, but it seldom leads people to heights of virtue. There is a scramble to be the best, achieve the most and be known and admired for the accomplishment. The striving is not problematic. It is admirable to do your best. Rather, the motives behind the machinations are the question and conflict. The devil is in the details. These aspects of achievement are glaringly absent in most success stories.

At what price fame? For many people, the road to renown has led through ruin. Success has come at such a cost that it can scarcely be recognized as such. For some, the dizzying heights of acclaim come at significant compromise making the wearer unfamiliar to themselves. Perhaps, most people will not taste the bitter dregs of a misspent life, but that does not mean they will make good choices after reading their own press clippings. Perhaps, the goal is only to be mentioned in a forum. (I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name correctly.) Even those who abhor these ideas still jockey for the spotlight.

If we understand human nature, we understand that it is human to have such a nature. To have a livable society, realizing the need for affirmation should make us understand we have to give it. And, if we give it to others, perhaps they will return the favor. Everyone needs a cheerleader now and then, but I know people who have lived entire lives and never heard the roar of a crowd. I believe when we give people what they need we are fulfilling God’s design. The desires to succeed and be accepted are inborn, and our Lord has instructed us to be concerned about one another’s wellbeing.

It may be that the real problems only begin when we lose the common touch. So many things in life are fine in moderation but deadly otherwise. This is the reason that recognizing and affirming others is so important. It helps us keep our balance. We’re more level-headed when we feel secure. The drive for success can be rooted in insecurity. We might be surprised if we knew how and what our idols think of themselves. We can help one another, if we will, and, when we help others, we are helping ourselves. Recognizing the bonds of humanity, however, will not answer all the questions for the driven soul.

It is an undeniable, historical and biblical fact that noteworthy people are not always noted. Furthermore, the worthy do not always win. Those who have the best word do not always have the last word. These may be the reasons that Scripture emphasizes effort over accomplishment. It is true that accomplishment often follows effort, but it’s not a dead-lock. So, there has to be joy in the journey if the gallery sits stock-still. We could all do with a little more success, but everything is not under our control. We all have limitations- natural or imposed. Eternity will level the playing field.

Paul said that those who follow Christ do everything as unto Him and are actually His servants no matter the hats they wear in life. As such, none of their good deeds are unrecorded or forgotten. He said we are known though we may be regarded as unknown. “Credit where credit is due” will be a great issue in eternity. In that day, we will all fully understand how important it was for us to have lost ourselves in a cause greater than ourselves in this life. It’s nice to have applause here, and our herculean deeds (perhaps) should be lauded. For some, this will happen. Since pay a price we must, let’s pay it forward.

Sterl

I’m Sailing Right Behind

2009-09-04T15:06:48-06:00

As children, we make assumptions that may or may not be true. Sometimes, we are taught things that are not true. These teachings and assumptions may not be intentioned wrongs, but wrongs they are. A great part of life is growing and learning better. The struggles of life teach us, we learn by intellectual development and we are guided by the hand of God. In the end, we become more rounded, capable and complete. That’s the goal, anyway.

In reflecting on my church experience and upbringing, I found that some of the things I once believed needed to be reconsidered. Now, I’m all for people being raised conservatively and adopting conservative positions, but we’re not always right just because we’re concerned. As a matter of fact, sometimes we do our own cause a disservice by shooting wide and often. So, I’ve thought about things a lot and understood that the only timeless truths are God’s- not mine.

I used to hear preachers say, “Principles are more important than people.” It depends on how you take that. Don’t presume on what I’m saying. I understand that the settled, absolute truths of God will stand for all eternity and bend for no one. But that idea became an excuse to many for torching their friends. Over and over, through the years, I have seen people sacrificed on altars of human building. Principles may be more important than people, but not if they’re misguided and misapplied.

Jesus died for people- not principles. The wisdom of God devised the plan to atone for sins and show grace simultaneously. And the grace of God follows us through life. “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” We don’t deserve God’s grace, but we receive it. I believe we need to learn from that. It’s when people deserve grace the least that they need it the most. Though we don’t have all the wisdom of God, we can learn by His example and do better by folks.

Be loyal to God and loyal to truth, but be loyal to people. Scripture tells us not to forsake friends in their times of need. It also encourages us to widen our circle to include all the suffering. Everywhere, people are hurting. Sadly, our society is self-concerned and short on time. Stress is at an all-time high, and loyalty is at an all-time low. When in difficulty, knowing that friends are standing with you goes a long way toward easing your mind.

When he expressed his night-time fears, a little boy was told by his mother not to be afraid because God was with him. He said, “I need a God with a face.” That’s what we are supposed to be. God with a face. A human touch guided by the Divine. Love God and love people. Everything else relies on these two principles, and they are part of one another. Don’t let your friends down and don’t let people down. You’ll need them someday.

Sterl