Have you ever thought about the limited “wiggle room” in Christianity?  It seems like people are either in or out.  Rarely do we ever talk about someone who is on their way in or on their way out.  To be honest, haven’t you run across people who are more committed to the ways of Christ than they are to the community of Christ?  I have and it makes me think that the way is broader than some of us, who have been around Christianity for a long time, make it seem.  On the other hand, haven’t you seen people who are present in body, but who seem to be absent in spirit or soul.  I’ve watched people for years; in fact, I’m a bit of a “people watcher” by profession.  It’s fun to watch and to learn more by just watching!  You don’t have to say a word.  Just watch.

Lou and Sadie Rouse are two people from my childhood that none of us Christians could understand.  They were the most generous people you could ever imagine.  There was a time when they took my family under their care and blessed Dad with employment and the rest of us with food from their garden and gifts from their abundance.  But when it came to church, their answer was always a kind and gracious refusal.  They didn’t get worked up about it.  In retrospect, when it came right down to it, Lou and Sadie had a great love and respect for Jesus, but they couldn’t quite figure the church out, so they stayed away.  I’m light years from advocating for “staying away,” but I do have some understanding of what they were going through.

Okay, this is my blog and I know you can respond, but it’s in my heart right now to be truly honest with you.  So, I can’t write the previous two paragraphs and not expose some of my heart.  My honesty says that the Church was/is intended to be the repository of the Holy Spirit.  Part of the plan for the Church was for us to…continue the ministry of Jesus Christ. (John 14:12-14)  When we are at our best, the love of and the ways of Jesus Christ flow like a magnificent river.  When we are not, the river analogy becomes problematic.  We can be a creek.  We can be stagnant water serving as a breeding place for annoying, disease-ridden insects.

During my unoccupied moments today I’ve been considering what keeps me following Jesus and what keeps me trying to both continue his ministry in the midst of the illustration of “river” and “stagnant water”?  This is deeper than I usually communicate, so I hope you will read slowly.  Smile.

There is a man in our congregation who is a good example of what keeps me believing.  He has been a Christian since he was a young man.  He and his wife raised their kids in the church and took advantage of lots of ways to get the Word about Jesus out to the community.  Several years ago his wife had a debilitating stroke.  Some guys would have ducked and run.  Not this guy.  He stood.  He took a stand, which means he became the servant and was at her beck and call for all of those years.  A year ago his wife died.  Now he is happily remarried to an outstanding Christian lady.  His faith nurtures my faith.  His faith inspires me.  If he can keep his faith in Jesus, through it all, I think I can too.

Another thing that inspires me to continue believing is the awesomeness of nature.  Some, I guess, look at the knock-your-eyes-out beauty of the Northwest and are impressed.  I look at it and it evokes a deeper faith.  Most weeks provide opportunities for me to do walking and hiking.  It is very common for me to see something breathtaking and to give this pray, “God, how in the world do you do this stuff?  You are simply amazing!”  Last Sunday in our sixth session of “The Truth Project,” we went the other way.  Instead of looking at the beauty of what we can see, the leader took us to the intricacies of what we cannot see…the components of a single microscopic cell.  My hat is off and my hand is over my heart as I confess to what I learned and saw.  Each sell in our body is made up of bazillions of cells and each cell share a unique DNA that makes me, me and you, you!  If even one component of those single microscopic cells was missing, we would not have the capacity to function.  I believe because this Awesome God of the universe is also God of the single cell and its micro-organization!

One more.  I continue to believe because of the reliable witness of many people who continue to believe though they are highly intelligent and highly skilled.  A couple years ago I had the distinct honor and privilege to hear Dr. Francis Collins in person.  Dr. Collins was the head of “The Human Genome Project” for several years.  He was very clear about how finding out more about the details of God’s creation brought him to the point of believing in God and receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  He is a convincing witness!  And, there are lots of others.  I think Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. Chuck Swindoll and hundreds of other well-educated people have a profound grasp of faith in Christ and have kept it (faith) throughout their lives. In some ways this represents a sort of “short cut” for me.  These people know lots of things I do not know.  They have traveled the world and heard profound speakers from all points of the faith spectrum, and have kept their faith.  Since they’ve kept their faith in Christ with all they have heard and with all they know, part of me will keep my faith because of…all they have heard and all they know and because I trust them!

Did I say one more?  Well, okay then, one more.  This will not connect with everyone, but I feel more connected with God when I hear or see something done with excellence.  Let me take you back into the early 80’s, and I am well aware of the fact that many of you have not been back that far!  In about 1984, or so, I attended an “Oakridge Boys” concert at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, AK.  I’ll confess I love their music and their show.  It was plain, undiluted, top drawer fun!  Do you know I had an encounter with God in the middle of that show?  My heart cried, “Dear Lord, how do you do this kind of stuff?  Amazing!  Such harmony!  Such rhythm!  Such fun!  Lord, I think you re-created us to have such energy and such enjoyment.  Why do I seem to have more connection with you in Sullivan Arena than in my church?  Why do Christians have trouble being excited about the best possible gift in the universe (relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit), while the world rocks out of its socks to ‘A hoom, pa pa, hoom pa pa, mauw mauw.’  I don’t get it, but it makes me love you more, God, knowing that you are the giver of lyrics, rhythms, melodies, goose bumps and flat out, turned up fun!”  That’s just one example.  Albert Pujols inspires me to love God more as does LeBron James.  A couple nights ago I watched Bill Cosby receive the Mark Twain award and thought of how much joy God brought to the world through “the Cos!”

I believe and sometimes have some unbelief.  Hopefully, by tomorrow or the next day I will have this faith thing all together, but if I don’t, my experience with Jesus says he will be patient with me…’til I get there!

Love,

Pastor Wes