We’ve had some captivating visitors out our house this spring. A family of swallows has skillfully manufactured their home in our entryway.  It has been like binge watching episodes of “Fixer Upper” as they make trip after trip to add mud, grass and feathers to shape up their home. And then we switch to the Discovery channel as we observe the babies hatch and follow these swallows as they care for their young. It has all been quite fascinating except for one thing – they leave a big mess on our porch! But we have put up with a little mess to witness the beauty.

That’s a whole lot like the church. Beautiful but a bit messy at the same time.

I’ve been in the church for most of my life. I’ve seen the best of times and the worst of times. I’ve witnessed lives utterly transformed, marriages saved, and people healed of all kinds of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual maladies.  And I’ve experienced the pain of getting ground up in the gears of church politics, congregational meetings that looked more like an episode of Jerry Springer, and some of the most disgraceful discrimination found anywhere on the planet. A great deal of beauty with a good bit of mess.

God’s plan to make his grace known to the world is not for a bunch of perfect people to live together in textbook harmony but rather for a gang of messed up people to cling desperately to Jesus and look to him to help in our weakness. That’s where God does his best work. We endure a little mess to behold the beauty of God.

I love the church. I love the church in all its beauty. I love the church with all its mess. I love the church because God loves the church (Ephesians 5:22-23). And that’s why I’m giving my life to it. How about you?

 

 

 

A single word has divided America in two.

Are you “Team Laurel” or “Team Yanny”?

The internet has recently erupted in disagreement over an audio recording of two words that look so different on paper yet sound so alike. Some listeners hear “laurel” while others hear “yanny”.  It’s an audio equivalent of the 2015 internet controversy over whether the dress is white and gold or blue and black.

It all started when a Georgia high school student was studying the word “laurel” for her literature class and decided to look it up on vocabulary.com. She was listening to “laurel” but kept hearing “yanny”. And the rest is history. The internet worked its magic and the debate turned explosive. Those who have a propensity for higher frequencies hear “yanny” while those who prefer lower frequencies hear “laurel”.

So, is there hope for America? Can “Team Laurel” and “Team Yanny” come together? Can those who see a gold and white dress get along with those who see blue and black one? Can those who have differing interpretations on disputes such as immigration, health care, gun control, marijuana, minimum wage, and climate change sit at the same table?

God help us. Here are a few guidelines:

1. Develop an attitude of understanding

Proverbs 18:2 states, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” We must learn to use empathetic listening to enter someone else’s world. While vocabulary.com is clear that it is “laurel” there is also a very clear scientific explanation for why some hear “yanny.” It is incumbent upon us to lean into understanding why someone on the other side of the table from us may see or hear things a different way.

2. Choose to withhold judgment

“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). We tend to be judgmental listeners giving evaluation by our own viewpoint. May we choose to withhold judgment with our mouths and offer discernment with our ears.

3. Give affirmation even without agreement

Ephesians 4:29 says it best. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Believe it or not, we can affirm another’s viewpoint without agreeing with it.

4. Share your ideas only after the other person feels understood

Ephesians 4:15 urges us to “…speak the truth in love…” There is a time and place to speak our convictions. That time is only after the other person feels heard and understood.

 

For what it’s worth, vocabulary.com, where the debate originated, has now gotten in on the action, creating a definition for all the people on “Team Yanny”: A “yanny” is a word or phrase that is capable of distracting the entire internet for at least 24 hours. When you “drop a yanny,” you start a contentious debate on some type of public forum.

May we all be people who desire to stop dropping yannies!

 

 

What would sports be without the talents of Lebron James, Jordan Spieth, or the William’s sisters? What would iTunes be like without the abilities of Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez or Carrie Underwood? Thank goodness for gifted writers like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and Nicholas Sparks. And what would the movies be like without brilliant actors such as Chadwick Boseman, Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lawrence?

What would the world be without you?

God has gifted you! He wired you to make a contribution. God did not give you your talents and abilities for your benefit. They are for the benefit of other people, and their talents are for the benefit of you. When you use your abilities to help others, God is glorified.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual

gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10, NLT).

I am so grateful for people who are talented in areas that I’m not good at. For instance, I’m so glad there are people who have mechanical ability. I don’t know how to fix a carburetor. I don’t even know where it is!  And I’m grateful for accountants. Because I stink at accounting!

God has given me some talents. One of my gifts is taking the truths of the Bible and presenting them in a way that is conversational, applicable and challenging.  When I use that ability, you get blessed. My talent is used to help you.

But here’s the point: You’ve got talent, too. When are you going to start blessing others? When are you going to start helping others? If you don’t use your talent that God gave you, other people get cheated. The way you bring glory to God is by using your talent.

There’s no feeling in the world like doing something for God’s glory, knowing that you’re doing what He made you to do. It is the greatest thrill in the world! If you haven’t ever felt that, discover and develop the spiritual gifts that are in you so you can enjoy your life and bring glory to God.

• What are the gifts that God has given to you?
• How are you using them to serve others? How do you think God wants you to use them for the benefit of others?
• How do you need to accept help from someone so that person is able to use his or her gifts to bring glory to God?

 

 

What is the most valuable gift you have ever received? That could mean the gift of the highest monetary amount but not necessarily. It might be a gift of great sentimental cost. Or a gift that brought you immense joy. What is the most valuable gift you have ever received?

Have you thought about it? Do you know what it is?

Now imagine you never opened the gift. What would have happened? No doubt you would have missed the significance of the gift, the treasure it represents, and the joy it brought. But more importantly, had you refused to open the valuable gift, you would have rendered it worthless. The gift only had value to you because you chose to open it.

Did you know that God has given you a gift of incredible value? God makes clear to us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we have each be given a very valuable spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:11).  Everybody gets one. Not everyone has the same gift. No one has all the gifts. We don’t get to choose which one we get. And we are to use our gift to help others and bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Have you thought about it? Do you know what it is?

Perhaps it’s the gift of hospitality or service. Or it could be a great adeptness to lead or teach. Maybe it’s the gift of mercy or healing. You might be exceptionally skilled at administration or craftsmanship. Whatever it is, because it comes from God, it is a gift of great value. But if the gift is never opened you miss the significance of the gift, the treasure it represents, and the joy it brings. More importantly you are robbing God and others of the gift you have. If you negate to open the gift, you render it worthless.

So, go ahead…open it!

 

 

 

As we finish our series on freeing ourselves from the prison of worry and anxiety, we see this word: “finally”.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

We’ve humbled ourselves and admitted where the struggle is real with worry and anxiety. We’ve taken the things that keep us up at night and cast those into the hands of Jesus. We are striving desperately to leave them with God and trust that He can handle the situations better than we can. We’ve made our “already” list and are doing our best to focus on the things God has provided rather than the things we are waiting on. Now what?

Finally…we must think about what we think about. In his book Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado shares that we must be the air traffic controller of our mental airport. We occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of our world. Thoughts circle above, coming and going, We choose which planes land. How do we make sure the right planes land? We must think about what we think about.

Think about what you think about:

1. Acknowledge negative thinking

Psalm 139: 23-24 declares, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ask God to help you identify the ways you are thinking negatively or in a critical spirit. God can speak through others, too.  Ask those closest to you to help you identify the ways you think negativity. They would be more than glad to help out!

2. Identify positive things

Make a list of the encouraging and affirming things. Ask others to help you with that list as well.

3. Think on the positive

If you can worry you can meditate! Worry is thinking on something over and over and over. The problem is, you’re thinking on the wrong thing. Find the encouraging thing and think on it over and over and over.

4. Express verbal appreciation for the positive

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” Speak life into your worry and anxiety.

Finally, think about what you think about. And, “practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).