This might be an appropriate topic for a Saturday morning.
As part of our Imprint series, we are looking this weekend into Psalm 127. This statement catches my breath: God gives to his beloved sleep.
We spend a lot of money going to sleep. Or maybe I should say, staying awake. I watch the Live Feed on my Facebook page and realize a lot of my friends are not sleeping well. Certainly some of them have medical issues that make a good night's sleep difficult. I am sympathetic to that. But then, what do I do with this promise from God: He gives to his beloved sleep?
Apart from physiological issues, I believe many sleep problems are really spiritual issues. The first part of Psalm 127 is about trusting God, about seeking his help as we build a life, a home, a career, a church. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain who build it. Solomon is saying: Wait on God. Trust him. Rest.
The Lord was so passionate about giving his people a rest that he built rest into his weekly calendar. He did not do this for his benefit. (Does God get tired?) He built the Sabbath so his people could catch a break. When we work non-stop, seven days a week, we are telling God: I don't trust you. I have enough work at the church that i could work 24/7. But God would not be building with me if I did that. He gives me sleep. I am happy to take advantage of that promise!
This weekend I will give five practical steps to take when raising our children. (Spoiler Alert...) One of the steps is Teach Your Child to Sleep. You might think: Well, sleep is a natural function. And that's true. But since God gives sleep to his beloved, falling asleep is a spiritual activity. Learning how to enjoy God's rest is a gift.
More at Lakeside Church this weekend. Don't sleep through it...
This weekend at Lakeside Church we'll be addressing Psalm 127. It's part of our parenting series called "Imprint." I won't have time to talk about every issue that comes up in this psalm, so I thought I'd give some advance perspective.
Solomon is the author of this psalm. So the wisest man in the world is giving parenting advice, or really, life advice. Here's how he begins:
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat,
For he gives to his beloved sleep.
I'm a builder. I didn't even know I was a builder until I helped launch Lakeside Church. Looking back now on 20 years of ministry here, I realize I am a builder. I have initiated five building campaigns at Lakeside. I have helped build nearly 70,000 square feet of space. I have remodeled my house...three times. It seems obvious now: I am a builder.
But the role of builder is deeper in me than stacking bricks and mortar. I've helped build a church, that is, a group of people who are passionately following Jesus. I love that role. I love to help people "get it" with Jesus. I love to see their eyes light up as they begin to understand who Jesus is and what he means to them. I love to build faith into people.
I've also built a family. Donna and I have raised three kids. They are the pride of my life. I've had a strong hand in shaping them in their journey of life. What a privilege. What a challenge.
I'm definitely a builder.
But to me, and other builders like me, God gives a gentle warning: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. That is true whether the "house" is a child, a family, a business, a school, a church or a community. Whatever we think we are building in this life, it will be empty unless the Lord builds it with us.
To me this is a call to humility. I might think I'm a great builder, but unless the Lord builds the house with me, my effort goes in vain.
Perhaps you could push the pause button in your building career for a minute. Stop and do a survey of what you are building: Is God building it with you? Are you leaning on his expertise? Are you building according to his blueprints? Don't risk building in vain.
I often marvel at God's willingness to let us form opinions. I mean, God certainly has the power to make us walk in lock-step with one another as his followers. Toe the line. Keep in step. No room for divergent views.
But that's not how God does it. Christians have latitude in living the Christ-following life. Take Halloween.
Many Christ-followers avoid all reference to Halloween. They believe the holiday itself is evil. They see it as a day owned and operated by the devil and his franchisees. Anything Christians do to connect with this day and its occult underpinnings is dangerous and inappropriate.
I have great respect for my brothers and sisters who hold this view. They are seeking to live a holy life and want to avoid offering an invitation to Satan. I wish all Christ-followers were that thoughtful about their faith.
On the other hand, and I am in this category, many disciples of Jesus find in Halloween a prime opportunity to crash headlong into the gates of hell. When the Apostle Paul entered Athens (Acts 17) his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols. Suddenly he had two choices: 1) leave the city at once, because idols are simply a facade for demons, or 2) engage the city leaders in a conversation about those idols and use the spiritual beliefs of the city to bring people to faith in Jesus. Paul chose the latter option.
I believe Jesus would have chosen the same course as Paul. (Otherwise Paul was in deep weeds with the Master.) Jesus regularly partied with "sinners" (which was the Pharisees' name for people who were not as good as they). Jesus said he would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16). My friend Chris reminded me recently that gates are defensive tools. Jesus was saying the church is to take the offensive and batter down the spiritual gates of the enemy of God.
At Lakeside Church this weekend, we are doing some gate-bashing. We are using Halloween as an opportunity to engage our community. Some Christians (even Lakesiders) will stay away that day. That is their God-given conviction, and I believe it is holy conviction. But many others will invite their friends to engage with the church, to overcome evil with good, and to bring light to a dark holiday. I believe Jesus will be proud of his people.
I was bored today.
That's weird. I can't remember the last time I was bored. Literally, can't remember.
Today was my Sabbath day, my day of rest. It was windy, so I stayed inside most of the day. I read some pages in a couple of books, but neither one held my attention. I checked out Facebook--too much complaining about the new Live Feed. Perused some articles in Sports Illustrated. Fixed a sprinkler. Got a flu shot.
Took a nap.
It was just weird.
See, I believe life is fascinating. It was created by God. Boredom was not a part of God's creation equation. It is not usually a part of my experience either. But today was unique.
Tomorrow I return to work. Life gets rolling again. Meetings, appointments, conversations. Decisions. Hustle. Stress. Followed by the next day. Then another. Hmmm.
Maybe a boring day every now and then is a good thing. I'll let you know.
On vacation I like reading novels. It gives my mind a vacation while my body rests. This time I read Dan Brown's new novel The Lost Symbol. Brown is a troubling writer to Christians, many of whom love to hate him. His book, The Da Vinci Code, made him a millionaire and a bunch of enemies. I thought The Da Vinci Code was a well-written page-turner. But it put a lot of Christians on edge regarding their own faith. It was a work of fiction, but many Christians were disturbed by all the things that sounded true.
In Brown's new novel, he brings back his hero, Robert Langdon. Langdon is a symbologist, a scholar of ancient symbols and "mysteries." In The Lost Symbol, Langdon is led by a madman through famous venues in Washington, D.C. He is looking for the ancient mysteries associated with masonic lore.
I don't think this book is nearly as well-written as The Da Vinci Code, but I thought it was worthy of a comment or two, especially since Brown is clearly teaching a specific religious point of view through his book.
One concept that comes through clearly in Brown's writing is that all religions ultimately point to the same God, or Supreme Being. We may all call him (or it) by different names, Brown says, but it is all the same God. The ancient mysteries confirm this. To support his case, Brown quotes from various ancient texts, including the Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita and others. I don't know how accurately he quotes the other ancient writings, but he eloquently misinterprets the Bible.
The reason he misinterprets it is because he wants to show that the Bible contains secrets that only certain enlightened people could know about. Through one of his characters, Brown declares, "There is a reason Christian monks spend lifetimes attempting to decipher the Bible. There is a reason that Jewish mystics and Kabbalists pore over the Old Testament. And that reason, Robert, is that there exist powerful secrets hidden in the pages of this ancient book...a vast collection of untapped wisdom waiting to be unveiled" (page 487). Brown declares that it is a grave mistake to take the Bible literally. Rather, it's meaning is hidden to all but the most "worthy."
This is a widespread view of the Bible: "It cannot be understood by the masses." For centuries the Catholic hierarchy proclaimed this. "Let the priests interpret scripture," they said. "The layman has no hope of understanding it."
Brown's hero, Langdon, addresses this misunderstanding. "The Bible and the Ancient Mysteries are total opposites. The mysteries are all about the god within you...man as god. The Bible is all about the God above you...and man as a powerless sinner" (page 492). At this point in the story, Langdon gets it. But Brown swings again.
The "wise" teacher in the story explains, "You've put your finger on the precise problem! The moment mankind separated himself from God, the true meaning of the Word was lost." And that true meaning, according to Brown, is that humans are destined to become gods.
That sounds really familiar. Isn't that what the serpent offered to Adam and Eve in Eden? "You shall be like God." In books like The Lost Symbol, the serpent still speaks.
Grade: Writing, B-. Truth, F.
Perhaps the most important words in the book are in the first sentence of the Copyright page: "This is a work of fiction." Amen.
I'm about to go over to the auditorium at the Lakeside Church Men's Excursion. I'll be speaking today about the Power of Affirmations.
Seth Godin, author of Tribes and several interesting books, writes:
People don't believe what you tell them.
People rarely believe what you show them.
People often believe what their friends tell them.
People always believe what they tell themselves.
I think that's why we sing. When we sing we are often telling ourselves something. Last night the men were all together in the auditorium singing praise to God. In one song the chorus says this:
He loves us,
Oh how he loves us,
Oh how he loves us,
Oh how he loves.
It is an affirmation. It is men of God reminding themselves and one another that God loves us and God's love is amazing. Singing songs that affirm our faith are powerful because they remind us what we believe. I believe it without singing it, but when I sing it I make it my affirmation of faith.
In Psalm 23 David writes some affirmations.
The Lord is my shepherd.
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness.
(Because the Lord is with me) I will fear no evil.
My cup overflows.
These affirmations have gotten into my heart because I keep telling them to myself. And I believe them, not just because I tell them to myself, but because God tells them to me. That God tells them is enough for me to believe they are true. However, when I tell them to myself, my faith grows stronger.
Hi Faithful Readers,
A few of you have asked recently why I have stopped blogging. Well, I have not actually stopped. I just suspended activity for a while. In fact, it had been so long that my contract with TypePad ran out and my account was literally suspended. But I paid my back "taxes", and now I am back online.
Here is some of the story...
Blogging for me is a way to communicate what is going on in my life and mind with my friends at Lakeside Church, and whoever else is interested. It is less structured than a sermon series, which gives me more leeway to express thoughts, feelings, ideas and dreams. Preaching, on the other hand, is a calling to express what God says through his word in the scriptures. That is a sacred trust. Blogging still calls for integrity and purpose, but it doesn't come with quite the level of expectation. At least for me.
Blogging also comes mostly from my own free time. Although I see it as a clear ministry tool, I usually blog "after hours", after I am home from the office. So when the pressure of the schedule gets tight, blogging seems a likely thing to set aside.
Here's what happened late this summer. (Please don't see this as whining, but as a revealing of my heart.) Over the course of the summer I officiated seven memorial services. Now for some pastors, that might not be many, but for me it is a lot. Of these services, six were for people whom most of us would consider "too young to die." Three were men in their 40s who succumbed to cancer. Another man died in a motorcycle crash. In September I officiated a service for a 25 year old man, then another service for a woman who has been a dear friend of both me and my wife. These services are holy moments to lead people to think about who God is and how he works in our world, even through the death of a loved one. As such, I consider it a privilege to serve in such a capacity. But at the same time, the emotional toll is high. Consequently, in September I had no juice left in the tank with which to blog. The first week of October I took vacation, which was highly restorative. I'm grateful for this gift of vacation. But no blogging on vacation--that's a rule.
As I write today, I feel well. I am grateful to God for the gifts and calling he has given me. I hope to use them to the best of my ability as long as God gives me time and strength. In the process, I hope you find these blogs Encouraging Words.
At the Leadership Summit we heard from David Gergen. I had heard of him, but had not known much about him. I have since purchased his book called Eyewitness to Power. In it he records his interactions with and perceptions of the presidents he has worked with in the White House. He turns out to be a gracious, thoughtful evaluator of history and the people who have led it.
One of Gergen's helpful comments during the Summit was that Leaders should be Reflective Practitioners. I love this. I am a practitioner of leadership in the ministry at Lakeside. Practitioner suggests one who is still practicing. That I am.
Reflective suggests that we stop and consider where we are, where have come from and where we are going. Often the tyranny of the urgent prevents such reflection. Yet when we pause to review the path of our lives, we may see more clearly where to go next.
Of course, for a Christ-follower, this reflection invites God into the journey. I spend much of my prayer time asking God: Lord, in relation to you, where have I been? Where am I now? And where am I headed?
It takes a moment, but the results can be stunning.
I fell in love with Jessica Jackley at the Leadership Summit. Well, actually I just like her a lot. What an inspiration. If you missed her at the Summit, let me introduce you. Ms. Jackley grew up attending the Summit with her dad in Pennsylvania. (Kudos to her dad.) Somewhere in her young life she got the brilliant idea to start Kiva, an internet-based micro-lending company. Fearlessly she set out to make it happen. And it did. This year Kiva will lend over $100,000,000 in small amounts to under-resourced entrepreneurs around the world. (Last year I invested money to help a woman in Uzbekistan buy a cow. She has already paid me back. Wow, a cow!)
OK, that's just back story. At the Summit, Jackley was asked about fear. Her organization is a high wire act. What if it would fail? Does she try to keep it safe? Her response: Fear could cause us to be less nimble. I wrote that one down.
Churches often fear. Christians often fear. I understand because fear is a human response to threats and danger. But I wish we would respond like Jessica instead. Fear could cause us to be less nimble.
Jesus said perfect love casts out fear. What I saw in Jessica was fearlessness. And to my eyes, it seemed her courage was inspired by love for the people she is serving.
I want Lakeside Church to be nimble. I want to be able to change course quickly to meet needs. But that's scary, because our plans might have to change. Our budget might have to adjust. We might have to alter our priorities. You know what? It's worth it. Perfect love casts out fear. So love makes us nimble.
Maybe we should buy a cow!