Pastor Chuck’s Blog

9-7-2022

Let me remind you of something critically important: God is far more interested in your future than He is in your past. Many think that God is fixated on your past. That’s not the case. Like you, God knows your past, but He’s far more interested in your future. That’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life. So let me help you with some steps to make your future brighter.

First, plan ahead. The number one reason we fail in life is we don’t plan ahead. We make decisions without considering the consequences. The Old Testament book of Proverbs 20:7 says, “The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble.”

Jesus spoke often about the importance of planning. He said there was a guy who goes out and starts to build a tower but he can’t finish it because he doesn’t have enough money. He failed to plan. It’s an old cliche, but true, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” Start planning now for a brighter future.

Second, seek wise advice. Let me emphasize the word WISE here. When we think we have everything figured out, we don’t want to hear other advice. Proverbs 15:22 (NCV) tells us, “Plans fail without good advice.” You need to get all the advice you can.

Many people ignore the advice of other people because they think they don’t need it. It’s called pride. Ego. Ego stands for “Edging God Out.” When you think you know more than God and you push Him out of your life, you’re on an ego trip and that’s a trip that leads to a dead end. For a brighter future, seek wise advice.

Third, refuse to give up. Proverbs 24:10 (NCV) says, “If you give up when troubles come, it just shows that you are weak.” Failure is the path of least persistence. The problem is that often during trying times, we stop trying. We give up.

If at first you don’t succeed, welcome to the human race, you’re normal. Very few people make it on the first try. Oftentimes, we give up just when success is around the corner. It’s always too soon to quit. You’re never a failure until you give up.

Finally, stop making excuses. Admit when it’s your fault and get on with life. I’ve discovered that people who are good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else. They spend all their energy thinking up reasons why they can’t do what they’re supposed to do.

Proverbs 28:13 (LB) says, “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confess and forsakes them he gets another chance.”

Your future is bright……not because I say so, but because God says so. So keep your eyes fixed on the road ahead. There’s a reason the windshield is larger than the rear-view mirror. Keep your eyes fixed on the road ahead. Plan ahead. Seek wise advice. Refuse to give up and stop making excuses and watch God do some great things in your life.

8-31-2022

Cut the Rope

In 1853, America hosted its first world’s fair in New York City. The organizers built a beautiful exhibition hall called the Crystal Palace. This is where the latest and greatest inventions were showcased. This is also where a man named Elisha Otis pulled off one of the most remark-able stunts in the history of the world’s fair. Otis was the inventor of the safety elevator brake, but he was having a hard time selling his idea to safety-first skeptics. It was time to go big or go home. He stood on an elevator platform hoisted high enough for everybody in the exhibition hall to see him. Then Otis, who had positioned an axman above the elevator, cued him to cut the rope!

The elevator fell—a few feet. The crowd let out a collective gasp. And Elisha Otis pronounced, “All safe, ladies and gentlemen. All safe.”

I know – cutting the rope doesn’t seem safe. Can I tell you what’s not safe? Playing it safe! In fact, the greatest risk is taking no risks. Cutting the rope is about taking calculated risks. When I say “calculated,” I’m talking about a risk-reward ratio. I’m not advocating blind leaps. Keep both eyes wide open, but you’d better not focus on the wind and waves. The only way to walk on water is to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! Well, you have to get out of the boat too!

When Elisha Otis pulled off this unforgettable sales pitch, there were only a few buildings in New York City taller than five floors. Why? No one wanted to climb the stairs! It was next to impossible to rent top-floor real estate. Then in 1854, Otis installed an elevator in a building on Broadway, and the rest is history.

By 1890, there were ten buildings taller than ten stories. By 1900, there were sixty-five buildings taller than twenty stories. And by 1908, there were 538 buildings in New York City that qualified as skyscrapers, including the famous Flatiron Building between Broadway and Fifth Avenue. More and more buildings got taller and taller, and something else happened. Higher floors started producing higher revenues! As long as you didn’t have to climb the stairs, everyone wanted a room with a view.

Elisha Otis had turned the world upside down. He didn’t just invent the safety elevator brake; he made the modern skyscraper possible!

You’re probably familiar with a verse of Scripture found in the New Testament book of John. These are the words of Jesus that John recorded for us:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~Jesus

My favorite translation of that verse reads this way:

“For God so loved the world that He refused to play it safe…..”

God went all in by giving His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross in payment for my sins and yours. Anything less wouldn’t do. The payment for sin required the best, and Jesus was the best – the only price that could possibly be paid. God went all in and “cut the rope”, so to speak.

At last count, New York City has fifty-eight thousand elevators. Those elevators make eleven billion trips every year. And that’s just New York City! According to the Otis Elevator Company, the equivalent of the world’s population rides on their products every three days. All because Elisha Otis had the courage to cut the rope!

If you want to imagine incredible tomorrows, you’ve got to cut the rope. It’s scary, especially if you’re afraid of heights. But anything less is maintaining the status quo. You will experience a few falls, a few fails. That’s for certain. But cutting the rope is the way we open the door to the dreams God has given us.

So hey, cut the rope!

8-24-2022

A number of years ago, several leaders of a small business were in a meeting when the conversation took a rather tense turn, to the point of becoming more than a little heated. One of the men in the meeting – the president of the company – called a time out and said, “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He then left the room and left everyone there waiting.

A few minutes later he returned, saying “I didn’t like where this was going, and I didn’t want to say something I would regret. So I decided a little break might do us good.” They were then able to continue the discussion on a softer level, ultimately coming to a resolution. The moment of silence worked wonders.

Israel’s King Solomon said, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)

With school resuming, vacations winding down and so many other elements at play right now, there’s plenty of stress to go around. That can lead to some heated discussions sometimes. There’s a time to talk things out; we all know that. But there’s also a time to put our words on hold and take a breath before saying something we wish we hadn’t.

When you’re tempted to go on and on and on about something, (especially when you know you’re right) try this instead: Take a break from talking about it. Put your words on hold. See what a little silence can do.

8-17-2022

A Blank Page

Doug Marlette was an editorial artist / cartoonist (creator of Kudzu) whose job, for decades, was to draw a new cartoon every day. He didn’t consider it pressure; he enjoyed it. He said…

“I have learned to love a blank sheet of paper. It braces me with its endless potential.”

Every morning you and I are given a blank sheet of paper: the new day that lies before you. You can fill the page with whatever you want: holiness, love, praise, service – or criticism, hostility, and bitterness.

It’s your choice.

You’re not limited today by what you put on the page yesterday. It’s a new morning – a blank page – filled with new opportunity. Even if you blew it yesterday, and ten thousand yesterdays before, you still have today. You can fill this day’s page with God’s presence.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23)

Your blank page is God’s opportunity to do great things in and through you. So go for it!!!

8-10-2022

Start With The Basics

Summer is winding down. County Fairs have ended and the Iowa State Fair kicks off tomorrow, school will be starting before we know it and then it’s time for some football. Maybe you enjoy football, maybe you don’t. Either way, the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, has a great reminder for all of us – even when it’s not football season and even if you don’t like football.

In 1960, the Green Bay Packers’ season ended on a disappointing note. They were playing the Philadelphia Eagles for the National Championship. (This was before the Super Bowl era.) The Packers came into the fourth quarter behind by 4, but scored a touchdown to take the lead. Unfortunately for them, the Eagles scored a touchdown as well and when the Packers were unable to capitalize on a last-minute opportunity, they lost the game, 17-13.

During the off-season, Coach Vince Lombardi came to the conclusion that his players, though talented, had failed to focus on the fundamentals of the game. So, when training camp began in the following season, he decided to take a back-to-basics approach in rebuilding the team.

And he decided to start at the very beginning. In the opening team meeting, he held up a ball and said, “Gentlemen, first things first. This is a football.”

Here we are, some 62 years later and even today we find ourselves, at times, losing sight of our priorities. When that happens, we sometimes find ourselves “fumbling the ball” and “failing to execute” in a way that leads to success. But the Apostle Paul wrote this to encourage us:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! (1 Corinthians 9:24, NLT)

When you find yourself struggling, or stumbling, it’s time to get your eyes back on the prize. It’s time to get back to the basics. The truth is, sometimes we have to remind ourselves:

This is my family.
This is my job.
This is priority one for me.
This is a new day.
This is a Bible.
This is a church.
This is my relationship with God.

That 1960 National Championship game marked the lone playoff defeat for Packers coach Vince Lombardi before his Packers team established a dynasty that won five NFL championships, as well as the first two Super Bowls, in a span of seven seasons. Lombardi’s “lets-start-at-the-beginning strategy” wasn’t the only reason the Packers won all of those championship games, but it certainly didn’t hurt.

You probably don’t have a locker room with a coach who challenges and encourages you. But you have something better. You have this promise from Jesus:

….all things are possible with God. (Mark 10:27, NIV)

If you find yourself “fumbling the ball”, maybe it’s time to locate square one, identify step one, and begin again…..with the basics.