Pastor Chuck’s Blog

5/19/2023

It’s graduation week and we will be honoring graduates this weekend. With that in mind…….

“So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.”
–1 Kings 19:21

On February 19, 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés set sail for Mexico with an entourage of 11 ships, 13 horses, 110 sailors, and 553 soldiers. The indigenous population upon his arrival was approximately five million. From a purely mathematical standpoint, the odds were stacked against him by a ratio of 7,541 to 1. Two previous expeditions had failed to even establish a settlement in the New World, yet Cortés conquered much of the South American continent.

What Cortés is reported to have done after landing is an epic tale of mythic proportions. He issued an order that turned his mission into an all-or-nothing proposition: Burn the ships!

As his crew watched their fleet of ships burn and sink, they came to terms with the fact that retreat was not an option. And if you can compartmentalize the moral conundrum of colonization, there is a lesson to be learned: Nine times out of ten, failure is resorting to Plan B when Plan A gets too risky, too costly, or too difficult. That’s why most people are living their Plan B. They didn’t burn the ships. Plan A people don’t have a Plan B. It’s Plan A or bust. They would rather crash and burn going after their God-ordained dreams than succeed at something else.

There are moments in life when we need to burn the ships to our past. We do so by making a defining decision that will eliminate the possibility of sailing back to the old world we left behind. You burn the ships named Past Failure and Past Success. You burn the ship named Bad Habit. You burn the ship named Regret. You burn the ship named Guilt. You burn the ship named My Old Way of Life.

That is precisely what Elisha did when he turned his plowing equipment into kindling and barbequed his oxen. It was his last supper. He said good-bye to his old life by throwing a party for his friends. They shared a meal and shared stories into the early-morning hours. But it was the bonfire that made it the most meaningful and memorable night of his life because it symbolized the old Elisha. It was the last day of his old life and the first day of his new life.

Burning the plowing equipment was Elisha’s way of burning the ships. He couldn’t go back to his old way of life because he destroyed the time machine that would take him back. It was the end of Elisha the farmer. It was the beginning of Elisha the prophet.

Stop and think about the symbolism of what Elisha did. Elisha literally cooked his old way of life and ate it for dinner. And forgive me if this is taking the analogy too far, but after digesting it, he got it out of his system. He eliminated the possibility of going back to farming by eating his own oxen and burning his plowing equipment.

We all, including graduating seniors, have a past. Let’s leave it in the rear-view mirror and focus on the windshield ahead of us. There’s a reason the rear-view mirror is so small and the windshield is so large……that’s where our focus should be.

Seniors, God has a great plan for you and it’s ahead of you…….not behind you. And we’re praying for you all the way!!

4-10-2023

Today I want to share a story that was shared with me. I think this story will touch your heart, but that’s not really the goal of sharing it. I want to share it with you because, well, you need to know how much God loves you. Most of us are familiar with John 3:16:

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. (John 3:16, NIV)

We see signs along the highway. We see people holding up cardboard posters. We see t-shirts and hats with the message, “God loves you.” While the message is absolutely true, sometimes it’s easy to allow it to go by without realizing just how true it is.

Then there are those who would tell us, “As long as you’re doing good, God loves you, but if you mess up, His love is gone!” That is patently false, but some people still want to spread that untruth. So I’m sharing this story, not just so your heart will be touched, but so your heart and mind will be reminded of just how much God loves you……no matter who you are or what you do. Here is the story, written by Jessica Hurlbut, we go:

One morning, my husband discovered Mara snuggled in bed next to him with a pen in hand, scribbling all over his Bible. As he reached for the pen, Mara looked up and uttered the phrase, “Hi, Daddy.”

This would be a typical response for a three year old. But our daughter Mara is severely autistic and non-verbal. So, when those words rolled off her tongue, my husband’s eyes welled with tears. He found himself overwhelmed with emotions. He was ecstatic to hear his little girl’s voice. This moment poked a hole in the walls of the dam he had built years prior.

You know the walls I’m talking about.

The ones we build around our hearts. No one gets in and nothing comes out. The floodgates broke as he mourned the loss of the daughter he envisioned. He spoke of the pain a father feels when he doesn’t even know his own child. He complained to God how Mara lived in her own world and rarely acknowledged his presence. But that day, God interrupted Greg’s lament and spoke these words to his heart:

I know your pain. I too am a Father and oftentimes, my children fail to acknowledge my presence. Day-in-and-day-out, they repeat the same routine: Breakfast. Work. Dinner. Netflix. Bed. They too live in their own little world. A world entrenched in hobbies, sports, materialism, binge-watching sitcoms, and Instagram surfing.

I try everything imaginable to get their attention. I send people into their lives to interrupt their routines. I answer big and small prayers in hopes they will know my heart. I even went to the extreme of sending my Son, as an attempt to convey my love for them.

I don’t NEED them, but I desperately WANT them. They desperately NEED me, but don’t WANT me. My greatest desire is for them to stop what they are doing and look into my eyes. I don’t have a list of rules for them to follow or a regimented agenda for their lives.

I just want a relationship.

And I’m not mad. I don’t care how many times they have scribbled all over my story. I’m the original author of their lives and I’m crafting a beautiful tale—if they would only hand me the pen. Until then, I will patiently wait for my child to look up and utter the words that cause my heart to skip a beat…

“Hi, Daddy.”

3-8-2023

You may be familiar with Psalm 23. You know, “The Lord is my Shepherd……”, but have you heard this version:

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever

Many times I’ve gone home at the end of the day and commented to my wife, “I had a very busy day, but I don’t feel like I accomplished anything.” I may be the only one on the planet with this problem…..but I don’t think so.

For one thing, people (myself included) are far busier today than in the past. Sometimes I wonder where all the time goes! I call this, “The Toilet Paper” effect. You know, the closer you get to the end, the faster the roll goes……..

But here’s the deal: If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. You might be surprised to know that God has something to say about the stress in our lives. Maybe you’re of the thinking that God is only interested in “spiritual matters”. But the thing is, with God, everything is a spiritual matter. He cares about every single aspect of our lives.

So let me give you three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule:

First, line up your priorities. Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some time to consider the direction of your life.

Proverbs 12:11 says: It is stupid to waste time on useless projects.

Second, lighten up your attitude. Do you really have to do everything on your to-do list? No one is holding a gun to your head. A lot of your stress is self-imposed. God gave us humor as a stress reliever.

Proverbs 14:30: A relaxed attitude lengthens life…..
Proverbs 17:22: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Finally, look up to God. Stress is always a warning light that you’ve taken your focus off God and are looking at your problems from your limited viewpoint. I believe the single greatest cause of stress is this: We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough! Need more time in your schedule? Check this out:

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I wish I could tell you that I have this all figured out. I don’t. Like most of you, I keep working at it………..

God bless you this week – this less-stressful week!

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!)