Part of the Team

Being part of a team is one of life’s best experiences. If you ever question the value of team sports, then allow me to at least partially negate your concerns. It might shock you to find out, but I was never a star athlete. I would love to tell you that I scored four touchdowns in a single high school football game. However, the role of leading scorer never quite fit me. I was always the defender. Though I didn’t put the ball in the net, I kept the other team from doing this as much as I could. Though I rarely even shot the puck, I enjoyed being a part of the team as I stopped the flurries of incoming shots.
Everything just seems to get done faster and more efficiently with a team working towards a common purpose. Typically, a skilled and experienced coach is one of the biggest differences between a win and a loss. A coach passes on his knowledge and gives the team the necessary information to defeat its opponents. Some of my favorite athletes didn’t simply fade in to obscurity once their bodies prevented them from reaching the highest levels of physical prowess. They became coaches, using their experience to lead a younger generation. The fundamentals of team play learned by the coach are passed.
Jesus empowered his apostles to do amazing things. In Luke 9:1-9, Jesus sends out the twelve, giving them “the power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.” He tells them to leave everything behind, preach the gospel, and heal people. It’s not that Jesus had passed his prime, but he needed a team. We each have important roles to fill. God has given us all abilities, and each one is necessary to the team. We are Jesus to those who have yet to encounter him. It can be daunting, but we have the ability.

Jesus, the Great Physician

We have all been wounded at one point in our lives. Whether it was a laceration, abrasion, or puncture wound, I don’t think any of us have completely avoided damage to our bodies. I can only imagine how a parent must feel watching his or her child play recklessly among numerous sources of danger. Working with youth, I find myself a lot more aware of potential hazards. In Canada this past weekend, I cringed every time I watched a teen climb a rock or dive to catch a Frisbee. If something happened, we would have to drive to the United States to receive insured medical care in anything but an emergency situation. With the border being very close, I had little to worry about.
If somehow you’ve avoided physical injury, there is always emotional damage. Every time you are insulted or betrayed by another person, you feel pain. Occasionally, we bring this pain on ourselves when we tell ourselves that we are not good enough, unlovable, or unworthy of God’s grace. We often attempt to find release from emotional pain in all the wrong places. Sometimes it is addictions. Sometimes it is a toxic relationship. Sometimes it is through financial gain. We don’t even think of the source of healing that is just over the border, so to speak. The healing of Jesus is always available.
In Luke 8:40-56, we read about two serious situations that needed the healing of Jesus. A woman, bleeding for 12 years, and the lifeless daughter of a synagogue ruler are healed by Jesus. Jesus didn’t make them ‘jump through hoops’ to obtain this healing. Jesus required faith. Life is full of hazards and pain comes frequently. Because of Jesus, life is also full of grace and mercy. If you are hurting, come to Jesus. He can heal all wounds.

America's Roller Coast

Shame and guilt are two of Satan’s most effective weapons against us. While often we feel little remorse for our sins, shame and guilt have the potential to become anchors that tie us to our pasts. Frequently, we enter a “cycle of shame and guilt”. Just when we emerge from that binds of sin, we begin to feel too unworthy of God or out of place amongst the church. It reminds me of a couple trips that I have taken to Cedar Point. At Cedar Point, there are many amazing thrill rides. However, you often have to wait in a line for several hours to experience a couple minutes of excitement. When this waiting gets to be too excruciating, I typically find a less thrilling ride like the Gemini. The wait for the Gemini is often non-existent. You get on the ride, get off, and then you get back on again. This is how it works with sin. We enjoy cheap thrills for a while, make somewhat of an attempt to leave them behind, and are pulled back by shame and guilt. God has a bigger, more exciting ride in store, but our shame tells us not to wait.
The dimension of guilt and shame was not one I first considered when I read the story of the demon possessed man in Luke 8:26-39. In this story, we find a man completely controlled by Satan. The demons inside him cause him to take off his clothes and hurt himself. Jesus approaches him, living in tombs, and casts the demons out of him. People find the formerly demon possessed man “dressed and in his right mind”. This man was clothed in mercy and grace. Jesus’ presence is so powerful that it can drive away demons. No matter what is torturing, tormenting, or controlling you at this moment, Jesus can remove it. Jesus sees us as what we have the potential to be and we need to be as excited about this idea as he is. Let the pigs have shame and guilt. I want mercy and grace.

He Commands the Wind and Water

I was not only the firstborn son of my parents, but I was the firstborn among my cousins. For several years, I was the only child receiving attention at family gatherings and I was blessed to be the lone recipient of toys and other gifts at Christmas. I would completely consider myself as a spoiled child. I don’t know if it is related, but I suspect that this was the reason I was the last among my peers to try several new things. If I didn’t want to learn to do something, I avoided the subject entirely. The first obstacle I had to overcome later than my friends was a fear of water. I could wade but not dive.
Once I could actually go near water, I had to face one of my worst fears, the diving board. While other children had little problem flying through the air and landing several feet below the surface of the pool, I stood poolside feigning a stomachache or claiming that I had just eaten. Instead of working on my cannon ball, I was thinking of new excuses I could use to hide my shame. Instead of trying to break the surface of the water without making a splash, I was picturing myself choking and gasping for air as I became unconscious under water. I always had a knack for considering dangers.
God often calls us to leave what is comfortable and familiar. He asks us to choose building His kingdom over creating a kingdom of our own. In Luke 8:19-21, Jesus talks about leaving one’s family. I don’t think Jesus is suggesting that we leave behind our responsibility to care for our families. He states that “those who hear God’s word and put it in to practice” are his brothers and sisters. We can wade in the pool, or we can dive in to a life led by God’s teachings. In Luke 8:22-25, Jesus calms the storm. When we have faith, we learn that God is in control. We have to face difficulties, but not without God.

The Light Side of the Force

If you haven’t figured it out already, I am a bit of a geek. For those of you unaware of the meaning of this term, a geek is considered in the dictionary to be “a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual". One who is in his late 20s and wears his hair in a “faux hawk” is not often labeled as “overly intellectual”, so I will have to present another common definition of the term “geek”. Geeks are also thought of as individuals who have a devotional to something to that puts them outside of the mainstream. For example, I have a penchant for video games that has never exactly made me one of the most popular guys out there. I didn’t win my wife’s heart by showing her my highest score in “Pac-Man” or “Donkey Kong”.
In this article, I want to talk about my love for one of the greatest film series of all time, “Star Wars”. I’m not the type to dress up to attend conventions and I didn’t enjoy the three latest movies all that much, but I do enjoy the franchise. “Star Wars” is like any other legend or mythological tale fabricated by man. It involves the same basic elements of light and darkness. The light eventually overcomes the dark side, fueled by hatred and destruction. The hero of the light must overcome seemingly impossible odds. However, no matter how powerful the darkness may seem, the light wins in the end.
Jesus uses darkness and light in several parables and illustrations. In Luke 8:16-18, Jesus states through an illustration that we can’t hide from the light. God knows our hearts and every action that we take. We need to take pride in our Christianity. We need to show our light whenever possible. When we walk in darkness, our rewards are only temporary. In light, our rewards are eternal.

I Owed a Debt I Could Not Pay

During high school, I spent more time at my part time job than the average high school student. Working at Burger King was definitely not my dream job, but it paid for my various extravagances and allowed me to save a little cash for college. At first working only a few hours after school, I soon began to work past midnight as I assisted in closing the restaurant. One would think that I would have saved a ridiculous amount of money working occasionally 30 plus hours every week. However, between college and a few ridiculous purchases like a brand new sofa with a fold out bed, I found it rather difficult to keep extra money in the bank. In college, I began to appreciate every dollar that came my way. Every left over cent was precious as I strived to pay for college, fun, and even food when the cafeteria’s offerings were unrecognizable to the human eye.
Being in debt often changes our view of others. We work hard to pay off our debts. We take pride in our accomplishments, but sometimes to the extent that we shun those who don’t seem to work as hard. In Luke 7:36-50, we read the story of a “woman who had lived a sinful life”. A few of those present don’t understand why Jesus allows this woman to anoint him and wash his feet. So, Jesus tells them a parable explaining that those who owe more of a debt than others appreciate being freed from their debt more. I appreciate money more when I don’t have it in abundance. I appreciate God when I realize that he has freed me from my sin. We must welcome those who are caught in sin. Our world is filled with people who find it nearly impossible to live right. These people need us most. And, no matter how “debt free” we see ourselves as, we owe a lot to God.