Hope 03 - Christian Hope and Suffering

Hard times, adversity, trouble, tribulation, pain, suffering...it hits everybody, regardless of whether you have a relationship with Christ or not.  It's difficult to sort out.  Here's my stab at it:

http://vimeo.com/23809196

Hope 02 - The Hope of His Appearing

Jesus will come again.  In His second coming is hope...hope that we can cling to regardless of the circumstances life brings our way.  We all struggle and we all suffer.  I've spent much of this week thinking about suffering we endure in this life, and we'll tackle that subject head on tomorrow in our worship gatherings.  However, before we can adequately and Biblically think through suffering, it is imperative that we consider the hope inherent in His second coming.  If you are catching these messages through this blog, watch and consider the "Hope of His Appearing" before you look at "Christian Hope and Suffering".

That message is here:  http://vimeo.com/23491863.

Hopeful,
Mike

Hope 01 - Hope of the Gospel

Over the past few months, I have had to deal with a handful of discouraging circumstances.  Life happens.  I found that some days, I was able to transcend the adversity, and other days, I fell captive to the things I couldn't control.  So, I started paying attention to what was going on inside me...started digging into Scripture...and started listening to other pastors speak on the topic of hope.  Then, the opportunity to preach a sermon series at Istrouma came up.  So, I figured I'd speak from what God was teaching me.  If "hope" is something you need more of...maybe this sermon will help you.

It's found at:  http://vimeo.com/23165949?ab

Grace and Peace,
Mike

Charlie Sammons

Tomorrow marks the 7 year anniversary that Charlie Sammons, one of my friends and mentors, died.  At least it's kind of the day.  He died on February 29th, which because of the whole leap year thing, that actual date doesn't come around every year.

As I got to know Charlie, and as he found out about my dad dying when I was in my early twenties, Charlie actually said out loud, "I'll stand in for your dad."  And, he did.  He had a great love for Jesus, an immense eternal perspective, a gentle way about him, and a lot of wisdom.  I'm thankful for how he invested in me.

He also loved all sorts of music and live concerts.  As the cancer was beginning to attack his body, he bought tickets to a bunch of concerts, and I got to go to some with him.  We shared good times and great conversation watching Neil Young, Dave Matthews, and Kenny G.  I laugh as I type that, but he had extra tickets to Kenny G!

I'm thankful for Charlie, and I miss him.

Image Management

This week presented me a higher concentration of difficult conversations, mediation and conflict resolution.  As a result, I am more keenly aware that so many issues that take place within the walls of a church are caused by the need to manage our image.  Closely tied to that is pride, lack of humility, insecurity and fear. We care way too much about how others see us.  Therefore, we fight to manage the image we want people to see, oftentimes compensating for the people we really are.  We spend so much time and energy fighting to defend our reputation and image that we are too tired to be about the bigger things in life.  It's a problem, and it's a problem we all identify with to one degree or another.

I wonder how John the Baptist felt when he was being falsely accused of horrible things while serving a prison term for standing up for the right thing?  I bet he wrestled with that.  I hope he knew that Jesus called him "the greatest man ever born of a woman."  If he did, I bet it helped...maybe even helped to the degree that he no longer even heard the voices of others.  Because of what Jesus thought of him, he didn't have to manage his image.  Why do we?

Dealing With Bias

After my first workout in months, I found myself in the locker room, getting my stuff, forced to listen to a ridiculous conversation between two older men.  It was about LSU football.  They spoke of a high-school running back who was going to sign with the Tigers but decided to look around at some other schools.  Their conclusion?  He is overrated and wouldn't amount to much anyway.  They then spoke of the quarterback that'll be on the team next year who is coming from a junior college.  I read about this guy in the paper this morning.  He was on the Georgia squad before he was kicked off the team because he plead guilty to fondling some girl in a bar.  What do the old guys in the gym think of him?  "Anybody could make an accusation that would cause trouble.  He probably didn't even do it.  I'm glad he's going to be on our team."  

Why are these two football players viewed differently?  One elevated, and the other scorned?  Simple unfiltered bias.  We all deal with it.  Some will act the chameleon and will be controlled by the biases of others.  Other people will not be driven by fear of man and will stick to the Truth regardless of the biases of others.  

The Bible has much to say about this.  From the Luke passage taught in our classes this Sunday: 

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 

(Luke 6:22 ESV)

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. 

(Luke 6:26 ESV)

May I live courageously for His glory when that stands in opposition to the approval of others.  

A Meaningful Life

A few months ago, I finished Donald Miller's A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.  I talked about it with a friend at the time and then, like most things, I didn't think about it much anymore.  Then, that friend emailed me about it today.  Sorting back through the book, I was reminded of some significant things within it.  Here's one of those excerpts.

"If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers.  You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen.  The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back.  Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful.  The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either."