Momentum

ThanksLaughing

It has been intense for me the last few days.  Not only for me, but for many people around me.  I will have written and preached 12 messages in 12 days, between two weekends, two funerals, two chapels, and two Thanksgiving services.  Each one requires an engaged mind and a connected heart.  The Lord has provided, though.  I say all this because a wonderful gift from God to help me through is humor and laughter.  Have you ever stopped and thanked God for how he made us to laugh, find humor, smiles and corny jokes as a source of strength? 

In between all this intense work and grief, I've had interludes of laughter at, for example, the WGN morning news (those anchors are crazy), 30 Rock, The Office, friends that bust my chops, the Bears, cute little children, a friend that adores gaudy Christmas lights, security guards that take their job way too seriously, a running partner that runs in black socks, overprotective mommies and You Tube links to bloopers, a preacher that can't pronounce rhetorician (me).

What makes you laugh or smile?  Why don't we pause and thank God for laughter, because without Him we would all be total grumps 24/7! 

Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "...a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance..."

Chapel Talk

I spoke at Illiana Christian High this week.  They are focusing on the parts of the human body each month and then making the spiritual connection.  I kicked off the stomach and back.  They asked me to speak on the "guts" or "backbone" relative to talking about Jesus to friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, the lost, etc. My hope and prayer was to give them four motives to talk about Jesus.

The first was the Jesus motive.  The more you get to know God and the wonder of His love, the more you will be motivated to talk about Him.  The more you get to know Him, the more you will want to do what he asks.  He asks us to talk about Him (Matthew 28 and Acts 1:8).

The second was the jealousy motive.  We all get jealous when someone else is getting more attention that us.  The Bible tells us that God is a Jealous God (Exodus 20:5).  He is jealous of anything or anyone that gets more attention that Him.  That motivates me!

The third was the reward motive.  We are saved 100% by grace through faith in Christ, period.  However, the same Bible that tells us about grace tells us that we will be rewarded in eternity for what we did with that grace.  We will be held accountable for our words.  That motivates me to speak more words about Jesus than about me or this world.

Finally was the power motive.  In 2 Corinthians 4:7 it says that "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show us that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."  That is motivating to me.  I don't have to drum up the power - the power is in the message.

I left them with a three-day challenge, and now I challenge you who read this to share Jesus with someone in the next three days.  Talk to a friend, coworker, parent, sibling, whomever.  Can you stomach that?

My John Calvin Book List

We are in the midst of a weekend series called John Calvin: CHRIST in the Drama of Life.  I've enjoyed preparing the messages and look forward to this weekend's conclusion.

Several people have asked me about books on John Calvin, so here is a list of my favorites:

1. Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin, John T. McNeill, and Ford Lewis Battle - This is like an encyclopedia of theology.  You can just pick it up and choose a topic.
2. John Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian Life by John H. Leith and Albert Cook Outler - The title says it all.  I have really enjoyed this book.
3. Calvin's Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament by Ronald Wallace - ditto
4. On Prayer: Conversation with God by John Calvin and I. John Hesselink - very foundational, rock solid teaching on prayer
5. Portrait of Calvin by THL Parker - this is a simple yet wonderful overview of his life and some doctrine
6. John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology by Various Contributors and Burk Parsons - a very good comprehensive read about Calvin.  Each chapter is written by a different expert on him.
7. Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism by Joel R. Beeke - I'm in the middle of this book and enjoying it.
8. Anything by Herman J. Selderhuis
9. John Calvin by Simonetta Carr - this is a children's book that I enjoyed that gave me a short understanding about his life.
10. Friends of Calvin by Machiel A. VanDenBerg and Reinder Bruinsma - self-explanatory.
11. Letters of John Calvin by Jules Bonnet - self-explanatory.

I have probably 20 more Calvin books and they could be on this list as well, but these rise to the top.

Un"Bear"able

I'm so glad I had a meeting last night because I couldn't have watched the whole Bears game without sinning.  How can they be that bad??  I am so thankful that in Christ I am a winner.  If not, I'm shot because the Cubs are losers and now the Bears.  Someone told me that Coach Lovie is changing his name to Coach "Hatie."  They are not only losing, they are boring.  I'm a happy guy most of the time but these Bears are pushing me. 

Well, it's Friday and Sunday's coming, and it felt good to vent.  Have a great weekend.

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day.  I invite everyone who reads this to pause and thank God for this great country and especially for all the veterans that have served to protect it.

I was just again reminded of how blessed we are in America.  I was vacationing in another country and its government, freedom and protection can't hold a candle to the U.S.  We are not a Christian nation, we are not perfect, we may not even be the best in history, but we are still an amazing nation.  We need to be in prayer for, yet still confident, in this great nation.

I'm proud to be a Cubs fan.  I wear my Cubs hat with pride, even though we are perennial losers.  I'm prouder still to be an American.  We are not losers.  As long as we continue to uphold freedom as spelled out in our constitution, we will continue to be a strong nation.  Today, tomorrow, and the next few days, thank a vet!

6 Days of Wedded Bliss!

Laurie and I returned late last night from our belated 25th wedding anniversary getaway.  We waited three months because we wanted it to be cooler, so we could enjoy the warmth.  It worked!  Sorry for not having any blog posts, but you understand.

Here are a few observations and reflective thoughts that traveled through my brain these last six days.

1. I was surprised and blessed by how many people were shocked that we've been married 25 years.  Do we look too young, or are people surprised that couples can actually make it 25 years?  Probably the latter.
2. Overstated, but true, Laurie is my best friend.  We laughed...were silent...watched episodes of 30 Rock...discussed deep issues (even theological ones).
3. I read books of those I respect, with similar theology and world views.  I took three books along and was very moved.
4. I think a great sign of Christian maturity is how often you think about God, His creation, His kingdom, His people and those outside his kingdom.  Sadness for those whose world is partying and worldliness.
5. Getting away is very important for marriages.  It forces you to think about yourself, your selfishness, your future, your areas of hope and concern.
6. I enjoyed the freedom of no cell phone or emails.  My phone had a connection and my laptop availability, but I chose to abandon both.  It was great.  I did like having my laptop for videos and internet capability for sports, food and shopping.
7. I'm excited about finding a new pace, schedule and format for my life.  During this break God taught me things about it through His word and good books.
8. It is possible to go on vacation and not gain weight.  Laurie and I worked out every day and still ate great, including dessert!
9. I thought a lot about Heaven.  Partly because of one of the books I read.  Partly because of an upcoming message.  But also because I had time to think.  I believe heaven is closer than we think.  I think more of the Kingdom of heaven is already here if we seek it out.

There are some of my thoughts and reflections.  Do you have any thoughts or reflections about mine?

p.s. if you were wondering where we spent our 25th, just ask.  No problem...ya mon!