My tribe and a little white card...

December 18, 2017

It came in the mail sometime last week. The outside of the envelope identified the contents. I didn’t open it for a couple of days. Its content was the source of a flood of emotion that has not subsided. It was from my churches’ international office and the envelope contained my 2018 minister’s card that identifies me as a licensed and ordained minister in my tribe.

I spend quite a chunk of my day in the bedroom of our house that we’ve turned into my dialysis clinic. As I did my treatments each day, I looked at the ID card and traced the last 35 plus years in ministry. One of the most significant parts of my spiritual journey, outside my conversion and ongoing relationship with Jesus is the revelation of God’s church – His one church. All persons who have come to faith in Christ through faith and repentance are in God’s Church. Over the years I have been blessed to know, love, and work beside brothers and sisters in Christ from nearly every religious persuasion. The fellowship and partnership in ministry that we have all shared are treasures that cannot be replaced. But, I am thankful that God saw fit to place me in the group to which I belong and in which I have been at home all of my life.

I have kept the card close since receiving it as a reminder of the tremendous sense of pride that I’ve had over the years to have been part of the ministry of the movement that has brought significant change to most of the earth’s continents. Is my “group” the largest of churches and has their influence been felt because of their size? No, quite the opposite. But there has been a global influence nonetheless. Thousands have come to know Jesus because of the Gospel being preached since around 1880.

I remembered the start of my own pastoral ministry in 1984. I thought then (and believed) that the hopes and dreams born in my heart would find their fulfillment in my ministry as a pastor. Over the years I have heard stories of pastors who had long term ministries. (And I’ve personally known a few.) These precious men and women served in the same congregation for decades. They were able to see children converted and see those children grow up, find life mates, and have children of their own. They rejoiced with their flock when babies were born. They walked with those whose lives were changed by death. In each case, love flowed between the hearts of the family.

I was never able to have a long-term ministry. My last pastorate ended in 1995. I am forever grateful for the ever so brief pastoral positions I did have. Some of my fondest memories and greatest blessings came from the churches that I was able to serve as pastor. And yet, there is a deep longing in my heart.

As I said, my new ID card brought a sense of humble pride. (Is that an oxymoron?) (As opposed to arrogant pride.) It also brought a sense of sadness and regret. The regret was fueled by this, probably a lie from satan, If I had only done things differently…it is too late for an assignment that would span more than a few weeks, much less years. I still hope for fruit to grow from those times when I was able to share the Gospel with groups of people.

I realized today how tired I am. There seems to be little or no strength to even maintain a semblance of the dream even though dreams enable me to eat my daily bread. I also realize that I am unable to be content. I understand what the Bible says about being content. Paul speaks of that particularly in Philippians four, but I think the context is referring to material things. My discontent comes from unfulfilled hopes and dreams. 

I am still a part of God’s family. I was able to serve with an enthusiasm that for a season, seemed to be contagious. I look back with joy and happiness. I look forward to crossing the finish line and hearing the Lord say, “Well done…” I love the connection that my little white ID card declares. I only wish I had been given more time to be a part of a global mission.  

(This was my "Christmas letter" from 2016. There is always so much I want to say about Christmas and each year the message seems to get longer. It isn't that I couldn't come up with something else to say so as to have a new message, it's just that I am passionate about sharing what I believe to be true. So, except for a few minor changes, this is a new, old "Merry Christmas." I do hope that you are encouraged if not inspired to present the truth about Christmas to others. Time is short and the Gospel of Jesus is the only thing that will save the world. Thanks for taking the time to read what has been on my heart for a long time.)

“Where were you when the lights went out?”

I was just a kid when someone asked me that question. I didn’t “get” the question (as a joke) and replied, “I don’t know, where?” The jokester said, “In the dark.” There were others in the room during this little rhetorical Q & A and everyone laughed. I thought it was clever so I've asked the question, “Where were you when the lights went out” to many other unsuspecting folks and usually get to break the “punchline” to them. But what has that to do with Christmas? Let's look at this in spiritual terms.

Are we in the dark? Is there even a darkness in which one may be engulfed? Is there a light that can overcome darkness? Who is that light, and where may it be seen and experienced? More than two thousand years ago, a few shepherds saw and heard about Jesus from a group of angels. Later, some “Wise Men” saw a light that led them to Jesus. But beyond the angelic heralds and beyond the star that shone so brightly lay a darkness in the hearts of people that demanded a hope rooted in love rather than religion. Hence, Christmas.

This is the first “new” Christmas letter I’ve written since around 1990. My theme in past years has been about the faithfulness of God to His own Word. When we say “Merry Christmas” what we really mean (or should mean) is that God always keeps His promises! He promised to send The Messiah to the world and He did when Jesus was born. If Jesus’ birth was established long before He came, then His Second Advent is also established. If Jesus came once, He will surely come again! (And I believe His Second Coming is imminent.)

The “new” of this Christmas message centers around two worlds. The world in which Jesus was born and ours. What came to me when I asked myself about the conditions of the world over 2000 years ago, prompted another question: If I fail to understand to any greater level the world in which Jesus was born, could that mean that I really have no idea about the true meaning of Christmas? We (as Christians) are fond of the saying "Jesus is the reason for the season." How "cliche - ish" that has become. Even though we cram some religious activities into the holiday season. Some, take an almost militant approach to saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays,"  but in it all we may still miss entirely the magnitude of what it meant and what it means to know the God who invaded history with His perfect, holy, and Divine presence IN THE FLESH. Understanding the reality of “Christmas” necessarily takes us back to the first century and the time in which God chose to send His Son. If we fail to understand the world as it was when Jesus was born, can we fully appreciate the implications of the first advent for our world in our time?

The world, our world, is not too much different or too far removed from the world of first century Israel. The world of the Jew during Jesus time was a time of hopeless despair. The world for the Gentile in the first century was void of light. For all people, it was a time of darkness. So it is today. Our world is void of light, entrenched in darkness and despair. Jesus first advent brought a hope to the world that was so great; so revolutionary; so beyond this world that many missed it. When Jesus came, He, single - handedly pierced the darkness with nearly unapproachable light.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the condition of our nation. For that matter, I think of our world and the darkness that is pressing in against people of all races, colors, and ethnicities. I have been thinking about the world in which Jesus was born. I pondered what I have learned over the years in reading the Bible many times and what I remember from history about Palestine, the Roman Empire and the nation of Israel in the first century.  I began to read some articles on the subject. I found an article by Pastor David Schrock that listed seven elements that comprised the world in which Jesus was born. In many ways, the condition of the “world” in our time and especially that of our country is very similar to the time of Jesus. Following are abbreviated portions of his article to serve as talking points. Pastor Schrock’s material is italicized. The link to the full web article is at the end of my letter. (The article is excellent! Please take time to read it!)

The World was a dark place. While we think of Christmas as a season of light, the truth is, the birth story of Jesus Christ is filled with darkness.  Anticipating the birth of the Christ child centuries before Mary was great with child, Isaiah writes that the light that was coming into the world, came to a people shrouded in darkness (9:1-7).  Gloom, anguish, and contempt were just some of the adjectives used to describe this darkness. Thus, in order to understand the full revelation of the light which came into the world when Christ was born, we need to recognize the darkness into which our Christ was born. 

First, when Christ was born, the word of God had not been heard for four centuries. If we compare the world that Jesus was born into with today, to what conclusions must we come? Malachi was the last O.T. prophet to receive a message from God. From the time that Malachi rolled up his scroll until Jesus came on the scene as God’s Living Word, 400 years had passed. While we must work a bit to get it, it is possible to understand, at least in part, why Israel rejected Jesus. But we have Christ and His Word in all His fullness and yet we either overlook, or, worse yet, ignore Him. So, which of the time periods might we consider to be the worst? A world without a Word from God for centuries, or, God’s Word revealed and yet ignored?

Second, the people of God were under the oppressive rule of Rome.  We believe we live in what we call a “free country.” We are not under the thumb of a foreign power. But are we really free? Are we chained in servitude to a host of idols that manifest themselves in hedonistic, humanistic, and materialistic pleasures? Is even the church out of touch with the common elements that bring God’s people to dynamic mission? Have we traded liberty for license? License is doing what we want when we want. Liberty is having the power to do what is right.

Third, the nation of Israel was fracturing. Does that have a familiar ring to it? Could America be more divided? Splintered? What did Jesus say or do that provided a balm for the brokenness that plagued His people in the first century? What does He provide for us today? 

Fourth, the birth of Jesus came through a virgin.  Christ followers universally believe in the “Virgin Birth” of Jesus. But it wasn’t so for Mary, Joseph, and their contemporaries. At first, Joseph was faced with a monumental struggle. He needed to protect his honor and that of his betrothed. It took a Divine dream to untangle the knot in which Joseph was entwined. But what of today. With pluralism eating away at a commitment to absolute truth and with Jesus being at the center of controversy which gives way to the slide into alarming levels of subjectivity, has the Virgin Birth become as problematic today as it was then?

Fifth, the census was a considerable imposition. Joseph and Mary had to travel about four days to get to Bethlehem from Nazareth to obey the new census law. And yet, they made the journey. Today, most folks won’t travel four miles in a heated/air-conditioned car with cruise control to be counted part of the Body of Christ.

Sixth, the poverty of Mary and Joseph did not fit the royal son they had.  Not only were the conditions leading up to Christ’s birth dark, so too was his birth.  Luke 2:7 records that there was “no place for them in the inn.”  This is probably because it was filled up with travelers coming for the census; but it may also be the case that Joseph, a carpenter by trade, did not have the means to pay for or to pay extra for a room.  Money talks, right?  But it is clear, that Joseph had no bargaining power.  Mary and Joseph went to the stable, where Jesus was born and laid in a manger.  Without family or hospitality, darkness surrounded them.  Today, images of a new born baby, “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” are still the basis for Christians who try to keep Jesus as “the reason for the season.” And while the King of Kings and Lord of Lords did come into the world stripped of His majesty, He is NO LONGER a baby in a manger. He IS literally OUR King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We should no longer have a euphoric and perhaps even romantic image of The Messiah as a baby. When we see Him, we will see Him as He is.

Seventh, through the hostile forces of Herod, Satan tried to kill Jesus.  Poverty was not the only source of darkness; persecution followed Jesus’ birth, so that he was constantly under threat. Jesus is now beyond danger. His resurrection from the dead has placed Him at the Father’s right hand as He ever intercedes for us. Satan cannot touch Jesus but, he is busy trying to touch us. His schemes fall to the ground, however, rendered powerless by the Blood of the Lamb and the testimony of those who have been covered in that blood.

Darkness is everywhere in Christ’s birth, which should not come as a surprise when we think of the prophecies in the Old Testament and the conditions of the world that God created.  As John 1 says, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world, . . . yet the world did not know him.”

Remembering that the light of Christ came in the darkness of night gives us hope that God can still pour light into our hearts and shine light into our lives.  No matter how dark it may be, no matter where the darkness comes from, God is the light who enlightens everyone, and has come to take up residence in the lives of those who look to Christ.

This Christmas, I am going to spend much time in learning about and reflecting on the world in which Jesus was born. I am going to think about and meditate on my world. I am going to seek ways to speak about this Jesus who brought hope, light, and peace to a world far removed from mine and yet, is here, now. today, in my place and time to do as He did then...

Jesus...He REALLY IS the "Reason for the Season." But rather than think of Christmas in terms of a short cliche, think of it as proof that God keeps His promises. Share the depth of that with others this year. 

May YOU be blessed this Christmas season with a renewed vision of the One who came, died, rose from the dead and will soon come again.

(Italicized material taken from David Schrock’s article. The weblink to that article is below.)

Pastor Shrock's Article

Hope deferred...

Hoping for Hope…(Proverbs 13:12)

“This is it?” “This is what it all comes to?…an enormous world of hope catapulted into the reality of a small world of accomplishment…but accomplishment it was. Education. Service. The thrill of and for life brought some degree of satisfaction and, in the beginning, had somehow painted a picture of more than this….”

Is this what was in her heart?

She was well dressed. And I surmised that she, once a lady of adequate means, knew of the finer graces that trademarked her generation. A multi – colored plaid skirt. A once pressed but wrinkled from wear white blouse. One intentionally well placed sequined hair pin held a partially combed wisp of hair just above her forehead. Nylon hose wrapped each leg and ended in neatly tied gray loafers.

Of course, I could not hear her thoughts or know of her background. We saw her, alone, in a wheel chair, as Gayle and I waited in a doctor’s office patient lounge. We guessed she was waiting to be picked up from her appointment and I was waiting for mine.  It was if I could hear her thoughts however. I studied her demeanor; noticed the hollow sadness in her eyes; and the seeming discontent expressed by a gaze not connected to anything but time and space which had served to rob her of dignity and respectability. Perhaps the sadness was accentuated by the realization that the care she once provided to and for others was now a distant memory as she was forced by that same thief, time and space, to be the recipient of care. We were only eight feet apart but it seemed, at least, for that moment, that we were much closer; almost connected in perhaps painful, unexplainable ways.

When my appointment with the doctor was over she was gone from the waiting room. I am sure I will never see her again but that lonely figure, as I came to realize, spoke much more to my own situation than she did of her own – at least what I perceived her situation to be. What I thought I knew of her was merely a series of thoughts based on what I imagined. What I saw in her and the thoughts that flooded my heart were very real.  It was an unsettled voice deep within my own heart that shouted in silence, “This is it?” “This is the sum – total of my days?” 

Years of service, all be them minimal and provided with a great sense of awe and gratitude, now lost to memory alone as the trees that were seemingly barren of fruit did not even provide shade from the scorching sun of reality under which I found myself.

What had been perceived as a “calling” on my life and accompanied by frequent reminders that the fulfillment of dreams of just how that “calling” would manifest itself lay just beyond closed doors. Those doors, remain securely locked in their place. In sight, but always out of reach. Seen through shadowy images of what could be but never realized. Chronic illness robbing not only health and presenting themselves like nails in a coffin. Hopes and dreams die but until the coffin is shut tight, there is a pathway for those hopes and dreams to be fulfilled. It seems the lid has shut and nails seem to be that which prevents the hopes and dreams of and for life from ever seeing the light of day.

There was one other similarity between the woman I saw in the doctor’s office. She was alone. She may have a host of friends and family that were there for her, but for that moment, she was alone. An added fearful trial when hopes and dreams begin to fade is when one feels they are alone. Few call, or communicate in other ways, not just to touch base, but to share the life-giving Word accompanied by prayer.  When one has been strong, or, at least appeared to be strong, all of one’s life, it is probably assumed that even when hopes and dreams begin to fade, hope, and help is not needed. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Listening for the Silent Cries and a Trip to the Well

"...But He needed to go through Samaria..."

It is about thirty - five miles from Judea to Samaria. More or less, of course, depending on where Jesus was, exactly, in Judea when He and the disciples left for Galilee. (Jesus had talked with Nicodemus in chapter three, so it's possible Jesus was still in Jerusalem). Of the itinerant group of thirteen, Jesus was the only one who knew of and planned for a meeting that would not only change the life of a sin riddled woman and many of her city but would be a source of inspiration for millions over centuries. The meeting? At Jacob's well in Sychar. And while the points of the story are without question the lessons Jesus taught the woman and the disciples, the journey to this divinely orchestrated and appointed meeting; the journey to the meeting must never be overlooked. It is the journey that provides us as Christ followers with that which we need to actually fulfill Christ's mission on earth. If we fail to recognize the truth about how and why Jesus made His way to the well, and when He arrived, we stumble through life missing most if not all of our own divinely orchestrated appointments.

Before I share my thoughts however, I want to ask you to spend some time looking at a map and reading a familiar story. In reading the story, which begins in the fourth chapter of John's Gospel. The most important elements of the story, at least in the beginning, is the setting in which the story takes place. The setting changes, but again, one cannot even begin to unpack the depth of what Jesus did at the end of the story until we set ourselves in the location of the the story's beginning.

Here is a link to the map, (Using the text, study the map closely using the legend to help you place yourself in the setting) -

A trip to a well at noon

The average man can walk about 3.1 miles per hour (according to Wikipedia). A burst of power walking can possibly produce speeds of around 4 mph but would probably cause the walker to start running. The appointment was set at noon (most commentators interpret the time frame of the "sixth hour" to be noon), and Jesus could not miss this God ordained meeting. If Jesus was about thirty - five miles from the well and if He and the disciples were walking at a consistent speed of three miles per hour, the simple math presents a bit over eleven and one half hours to get to Jacob's well in time to meet a hungry and thirsty woman.


It is doubtful that Jesus and the disciples left for Galilee at 12:30 AM and walked all night through a difficult terrain and on a potentially dangerous path. It seems that given the circumstances, a stay - over would have been required. However, splitting the distance and the demands of the appointed time, Jesus and His band no doubt walked at a considerably brisk and steady pace for most of two days. Another point to consider is Jesus' strategy. Did Jesus encourage the disciples to keep His pace so that when they got to the well, which they thought was just a pit stop of sorts, they would go into town to get some lunch? Would the Divine Appointment otherwise known as a Samaritan woman who was dying of thirst, approach a well with thirteen Jewish men around it, one of which was a Rabbi?

Can you hear the disciples talk among themselves? Can you imagine the kinds of questions they may have asked Jesus?

But what about the woman? No doubt, if you're reading this post, you're a believer and you've heard many sermons/lessons on this story. There is good cause to know why she came at noon to get water. I won't take time to list those (possible) reasons here. The point I do want to raise is this - at this point in her life, to whom could she turn. With whom could she share her hurt, pain, disappointment, and grief. If Jesus had not clearly orchestrated this meeting, what could have become of this woman, created by God with the same calling and before - conception mission that had been given to Jeremiah?

And what of today?

Jesus is not here in body. He IS here in Spirit and His Body, the church, does here, on earth, in reality, in truth, and in force, what Jesus did in body long ago...or, the church is supposed to do what Jesus did.

So what of the people who hurt for any number of reasons, and cannot, or do not for as many reasons, share their hearts? I am assuming that you looked at the map because it is important to know that if the church does, in reality, the work of Jesus because Jesus lives inside it, then Divine Appointments happen every day. Those appointments are just as amazing and nearly as unbelievable as the meeting with the "woman at the well" centuries ago.

What of the people who are bound by their calling to be strong for the many who need strength, counsel and comfort? There are many who have been a source of strength to others for so long that they are regarded as having strength in their DNA. There are times when they hurt, feel weak, and could use someone to be their Divine Appointment but others do not come but because God has revealed Himself in His Word so often, they truly do walk by faith...alone. What if they make the mistake of saying, "I'm doing OK," when inside they are being crushed under the weight of devastating physical illness and their source of income had been taken away? And of those whose hopes and dreams never materialized and their perceived open doors for ministry to which they had given their lives seemed to all slam shut, what of them? What if the countless "I"m OK's" sometimes, not always, but sometimes really means, "I'm desperately struggling, will you pray with me?" (Many people say they're praying for others, but what if a few minutes were taken to pray WITH them?) What of those who have been strong, and walked alone so long, under the mantle of strength, that even when a spirit of desperation threatens their peace, they cannot ask for help? What if others' also see someone who seems to always have it together and efforts are never made to at least go beneath the surface to see if there are deep seated needs. What if those perceived to be strong just need someone to journey with them for a time and have never felt vulnerable enough to express their need...hence, silent cries. Is it possible for entire churches to miss the unspoken cries for help that come from the folks who attend regularly and say when asked that "things are OK" when they hurt inside. ? 

Look around. Are there those around you who appear to be strong? Are there folks who are as faithful as they know how to be and do, in fact, trust in and follow Jesus and yet through there strength creeps weakness and the need for some of the family to come along side them to share the pain of parts of their journey?

So, what does this look like fleshed out? First, one must know how the Holy Spirit works. (BTW, He works exactly like He did when He directed Jesus to that ancient well!) When, in, by, and through the Word one is sure how the Holy Spirit works, one must begin to listen. God's Spirit will direct you into someone else's life. When one is directed, ask the Lord for direction. When He gives it, (the direction), then follow through with a text, email, or some other way to actually be involved in their life. Ultimately, though, a "live" personal prayer not for that person (because prayer "for" that  assignment has already been voiced many times), but a prayer with the one God has placed on your heart should be voiced.

Don't let images of strength deter you from reaching out. Those images, may, from time to time be illusions. They may be unable to ask for help...help them anyway.