Pastor Chuck’s Blog

3-1-2023

Not The Final Chapter

In February 2013 NFL wide receiver Cris Carter was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — an honor well deserved. He had a great career.

Yay Cris, right? Yes, but after his first few seasons in Philadelphia no one would have guessed it. Why? Certainly Carter was a talented athlete, but his early career suffered because of off- the-field issues, mainly related to drug abuse.

He was cut by the Eagles, and then picked up by the Vikings. It was early in his career with the Vikings that Cris got serious about following Christ. And while he was in Minnesota, he made the most of his second chance. He worked hard and began the process of turning things around personally and professionally.

The difference was like night and day. Cris went on to play in eight consecutive Pro-Bowls. He broke several receiving records and became one of only a handful of receivers with more than one thousand career receptions. A few days before his induction into the Hall of Fame, Cris was being interviewed and he had this to say:

“I wish I had done everything right. I have regrets. And when you’ve got a dark chapter in your life, people will try to make that the final chapter in your life. But it doesn’t have to be. For me, when it got the darkest, I said ‘this is not going to be the end of my book.’ I was able to start making decisions and start doing the right things, and one thing happened after another…”

Some days it may appear that you’re at the end of your book, as if the way things are today is the way things will always be.

Don’t believe it. There are chapters in your life yet to be written.

Even today you can begin making decisions to change the outcome of your story. The Old Testament prophet reminds us of this:

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Wherever you are in life……a high point or a low point……..wherever you are in life, it is not the final chapter. So go out there and keep working hard because God isn’t finished with you. And if you’re at a low point, there’s time to turn things around. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Instead, focus on what lies ahead and follow God’s plan. Who knows? There may even be a Hall of Fame in your future.

2-1-2023

Chicken Pot Pie Christianity

You’re probably looking at the title of this post and thinking, “I’m pretty sure Chuck has lost it. I was concerned before, but this title pretty much seals the deal.” Before you go all in on that, let me share something with you and then you can decide if I’ve lost it or not.

When we consider Christianity, it’s important to understand that Jesus is inviting us into a Chicken Pot Pie relationship, and not a TV Dinner one. Let me explain. The world you and I live in is filled with choices and options. We can choose what we want and leave out the rest. Go to a buffet for dinner? You can peruse the offerings and choose the items that best satisfy your taste buds and leave everything else for someone else to enjoy.

Now, allow me to translate that to Christianity using the difference between a TV dinner (remember those?) and a chicken pot pie. In a TV dinner the food comes in individual compartments. That means, you can devour the turkey and potatoes and gravy, but completely avoid the brussel sprouts because they’re from the devil (apologies to those of you who love brussel sprouts). In the same way we can easily break our lives into their own distinct compartments. You’ve got a compartment for family, a compartment for work, a compartment for friends, a compartment for hobbies…..you get the idea. The tendency, however, is to also have a compartment for spiritual beliefs.

In this configuration, you could have strong spiritual beliefs that come out on Sundays but they really don’t mix naturally with the other parts of your life. Spiritual beliefs and work? Spiritual beliefs and friends? The problem with this model is that Jesus is not just interested in your spiritual life, He is interested in the whole of your life. With a TV dinner, everything is compartmentalized. But with chicken pot pie, all of the food is mixed together so there is no picking and choosing. The chicken, the gravy, the peas and carrots (and God forbid, brussel sprouts) are all together in every bite whether you like it or not.

The same is true with our walk with God. He invites you and me into a relationship with Him that touches every part of our lives. No more compartments when it comes to a relationship with God. He’s not inviting us to pick and choose. He’s inviting us to go all in. Jesus’ younger brother, James, wrote this:

So give yourselves completely to God. (James 4:7, NIV)

Not just Sundays, not just your quiet time, not just your family, not just your work……go all in. Give yourself completely. Or, to put it another way, give Him the entire pot pie of your life!

So, have I lost it? Maybe, but not here……..and when you give Him the pot pie of your life, make it the best pot pie imaginable!! (Now that you’re hungry, go ahead…..have a pot pie!)

1-11-2023

For many of us, January is a time when we reflect on our lives. We do some review of the past and we contemplate the future. And if you’re like so many people, it’s also a time when we question whether we’re fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. Although often worded in different ways, most people have asked this question, “Why am I here?”

You may not know this, but the Bible is actually quite clear on why we’re here. You and I were created to worship and bring pleasure to God. Many people tend to think of worship as “the songs we sing in church”, or perhaps the experience of going to church itself. But worshiping and bring pleasure to God is so much bigger than the songs we sing and bigger than the hour or two we spend in church every week. Church services can be worship experiences, but worship actually takes place throughout our entire week – because God says worship isn’t what you do with your lips; it’s what you do with your life. You can sing the most beautiful songs about Jesus and about God and still not actually worship.

So let me give you 4 ways you can worship God and make Him smile:

1. You bring pleasure to God when you love Him above everything else. The two most important things in your walk with God are faithfulness and obedience. Notice I didn’t say the two easiest, I said the two most important. These two things let God know that you love Him.

2. You bring pleasure to God when you trust Him completely. You trust God completely when you recognize that He knows what’s best for your life. Proverbs 3 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5, NIV) When you do that, you begin to trust God for the impossible.

3. You bring pleasure to God when you obey Him wholeheartedly. You and I can’t earn God’s forgiveness by doing good deeds, but just like your parents smiled when you obeyed them, God smiles when we obey His commands. Obedience isn’t easy. There will be times when it’s inconvenient, even for those who have been Christians for decades. Obedience will cost you. But with obedience comes the smile of God.

4. You bring pleasure to God when you fulfill His purposes. Too many people think that the only time God is smiling on their lives is when they’re doing something religious. But nothing could be further from the truth. God smiles when we do what He created us to do. It’s like the words of the Olympic runner, Eric Liddell, who was the subject of the movie Chariots of Fire. He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

So as you reflect on your life, reject the idea of being a “people pleaser” in this world and choose to be a God pleaser……or as I often say, “Choose to live your life for the approval of an audience of One – God Himself.”

I love you, church…….let’s put a smile on God’s face this week!!

Chuck

1-4-2023

I have no idea what 2023 holds for you. But whether it’s a year where you reach your goals or not has nothing to do with your circumstances. It’s all about your perspective.

The economy might tank. You might struggle at your job. Your family may face challenges. Yet the most important question you’ll face in 2023 is, will you look at the year with faith rather than fear? The choice is in your hands.

The Israelites had the same choice in Numbers 13, a story most of us are familiar with. Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for 400 years. They had already spent two years in the desert. Moses then sent 12 spies, one from each of the tribes, into the Promised Land to see what was in store for the Israelites when they arrived.

Ten of the spies came back with reports of fear. They told the Israelites the land was full of enemies the Israelites couldn’t beat, whereas, in reality, the Promised Land was as incredible as God had promised, truly a land “flowing with milk and honey.”

Only Joshua and Caleb returned with reports of faith. The Israelites chose to believe the majority of the spies rather than the two who looked at their future in faith. Because of those responses, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones of their generation who were able to enter the Promised Land. The rest of Israel would die in the wilderness.

Just like the Israelites, you are heading into the unknown. None of us know what to expect in 2023. We can either look at the future in faith or in fear.

Maybe you have people in your life you love dearly who are constantly making bad choices and walking further and further away from God. You’ve been praying for them for years, and you’re afraid they’ll never turn to God. Maybe your marriage is falling apart. You don’t dare let anyone know, but you’re afraid divorce could be around the corner. You’ve got the same choice as the Israelites in 2023—look at your future in faith or fear.

When we look at our future through the eyes of fear, we can expect to have a miserable year. Or you can choose to be like Joshua and Caleb. You can look at your future in faith and not fear.

How do you get started? One step at a time. We defeat our fear with movement. You can’t argue away your fears. You can’t discuss them away. But you can take a step against your fears. Take the step forward. Refuse to let fear dictate. Decide right now, “I’m going in to take the land!” That’s the first step. Then, keep putting one foot in front of the other and watch what God will do.

Moving forward with you, church!

10-19-2022

As a teenager, Luciano Pavarotti had more than one good idea about his future, and more than one option to pursue. He loved sports, and dreamed of being a football goalkeeper (what others would call a soccer goalie). He loved teaching, and was attracted to the security this profession offered.

And, of course, he loved to sing.

When an elite professional tenor offered to take him as a student without cost, Pavarotti faced a decision: Which future should he choose? His father said to him, “Luciano, if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.”

Pavarotti later told Guideposts: “I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book — whatever we choose — we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”

Of all the words written by the Apostle Paul, perhaps his most powerful phrase is: “But this one thing I do.”

Everything about Paul’s life pointed in one direction. Everything he did led him to one chair. His prize was doing what God had called him to do — to know Jesus and to make Jesus known.

Life is a reverse of the game Musical Chairs, in which there are more players than places to sit. You have lots of chairs to choose from. Those who live life best are those who have the courage to choose one chair.

Have you chosen yours?