The Accidental Preacher

accidentalpreacher — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:57:38 +0000

I have never been a person to read the theological writings of others and remember quotes let alone theories. With that being said a quote I read somewhere through my course work for ministry has stuck in my head and the Holy Spirit has reminded me of it several times in the last few months.

So I finally broke down and “googled” the quote; much to my surprise I had a attributed to the wrong person and did not have the words quite right so I want to correct myself by giving credit where credit is due. The saying is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic Friar and preacher who lived from 1181 to 1226. So the quote has been around longer than I ever dreamed.
St. Francis of Assisi is quoted to have said “Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words”. The Lord used this quote to remind me that it is ok to feel that I don’t have the right words to comfort his people in every situation. Many times the most comfort we can give is our presence and our silence. Silence among God’s people leaves room for the Holy Spirit to speak to our heart and it gives those who are hurting and grieving the opportunity to listen to the spirit and then formulate the words to tell us how they feel.

Once someone trusts us enough to share their feelings I believe it is important to think carefully before responding. Do not try to convince others that their feelings are not true or that they “should not” be having those feelings. Feelings are a mysterious gift from God that defy logic and reason yet they touch us to our very core and I believe in order for us to process our feelings we need to know that someone has heard us. They may not understand our feelings or be able to help; which is not what we are looking for, we just want to be heard.

I have often heard people say that they can not share feelings with God yet in his word he tells us in 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. John is reminding us that we are to love each other with actions and know that God is greater than our feelings and he knows everything. So why should we lie to God and tell him we are fine when he knows that is not how we feel? Tell God what is in your heart and allow him to bring you comfort, piece and guidance.

As Christians are to be instruments of God’s Grace. To me that means going to others and being willing to listen and share their joys and burdens. I find it helpful to remind myself that God gave me two ears and one month; they are to be used in that proportion, listening twice is much as speaking. When we listen to others share what is in on their heart they often feel God’s presence and comfort not in what we say but in what we don’t say.

As we look into the Gospels we find many accounts of Jesus with the people; he did not dive into the details of their lives and point out the things they had done wrong. He allowed them to share their heart and then he provided healing, food, forgiveness, or whatever was needed in that situation. I think I am the most effective as a servant of God when I follow this model instead of diving for details.

As we approach the Birth of our Savior there are many feelings that will arise in us; loss, sorrow, broken dreams, pain, as well is the joy of past celebrations. Sometimes it is in our families that we have most difficulty being heard and understood and this leads to more hurt feelings as our families (with good intentions) try to change our feelings by telling us “get over it”, “it is not a big deal”, “that was a long time ago”, or any other remark that is meant to change the situation.

With this all this in mind, remember that we are not responsible for the feelings of others, we are responsible to God for how we react and comfort others when feelings are shared. I would encourage you to spend extra time preparing your heart of Christmas by looking to God who loves us enough that he sent his only Son to live in human flesh, to experience all that we go through then to die on the cross and arise from the tomb so through our faith in Christ we are forgiven. There is no greater gift than that of forgiveness; this year give it freely, give it often and most of all know that God is greater than our feelings, he knows everything and desire to live in your and heart and provide for our needs. God and all the people around us can only love us as much as we allow them to.

May you experience God’s grace and people this Christmas as you focus on being his ambassador to others; being not only God’s hands and feet but his ears and his voice of comfort and assurance. Have a blessed Christmas!

New Growth

accidentalpreacher — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:32:05 +0000

Many years ago I remember seeing a statute of monkeys sitting in a row. The first monkey has its hands over its eyes and a sign “see no evil”, the middle one has its hands over its ears and a sign “hear no evil”, and the third money places his hands tightly across his mouth and bears the sign “speak no evil”. This statue embodies the philosophy that we can just not acknowledge the “evil” going on around us and it will go away.
As I think about this image of the monkeys I remove the word evil and replace it with “feelings”. I believe often in families, organizations, churches or anywhere a group of people work together; we take on this philosophy about feelings.
Feelings, and we have several hundred of them, are a gift from God. Yet we often do not share are feelings with others and we let them sit in our heart and mind where they brew and get stronger. I believe it is years of pent up feelings that are leading to some of the desperate measures that the people are taking to either get attention or in many cases to get out of this life.
If you look at feelings and emotions as a pure, clear stream of water running through your heart; the stream carries joy, sorrow, loss, grief, guilt, pain and _____________(you insert the emotion you feel). As long as the stream is flowing freely we are able to work through the emotions; it is when we build a dam and don’t and let the emotions go that our troubles begin. Feelings and emotions have to be released so we will either talk them out or act them out (sometimes our body acts out with physical illness).
Unresolved feelings are like stagnant water that begins to get rotten and smell as it fills up with bacteria. As the feelings fester they get stronger and turn into resentment that can come between us and those we love, including our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Once we admit that unresolved feelings and resentment exist in our hearts we can begin to deal with them. I have found the best way start this process is to ask God to reveal the source of your resentment. In many cases this process is like peeling an onion; as soon as you remove one layer and other appears. If you are like me this is a slow process and it may take months or even years to get down to the actual heart of the emotional issue.
Many of us do not feel equipped to understand our own feelings and emotions let alone help others to cope with intense pain, sadness or other feelings; so we take the philosophy of the see no, hear no, speak no monkeys and just let things build up until we lash out or run away. Often people will leave one relationship and begin a new one only to repeat the process over and over.
If you have ever experienced this you know what I mean. I learned a new way change this cycle in my life when Theresa and I went to a marriage retreat entitled “Family Life’s Weekend to Remember”. The speaker asked us to be “reachable” and “teachable”. Meaning we let our guard down to share our feelings so that we can learn a new way of life. I believe this especially applies to our spiritual life. We have to let down our wall of defense so that the Holy Spirit can enter into our heart and reveal God’s love to us. Once we experience God’s grace and love we come to church for teachings about how to apply his Word to our lives.
As we approach Easter I would encourage you to look into your heart and ask God to reveal the source of any unresolved emotions and then work through them by talking to so some you trust so that on Easter Sunday you can lay your burden at the foot the cross where Christ gave is life for yours. Without the past burden your spirit will grow and bloom with God’s love just like the flowers of spring.

Why

accidentalpreacher — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:31:07 +0000

Thought 4 Today: What is the story on your relationship with Jesus? I accepted him fully in St. Mary’s Hospital (Jeff City) while Theresa was in surgery and Sam (a new-born) was in ICU. At that time I was not sure either would pull through; I ask God to heal my family I would do whatever he asked. God accepted me as I was and transformed me into a Pastor! Please post a comment as to why you love God and follow Jesus. Thank You!

Choose Wisely

accidentalpreacher — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:42:05 +0000

We are all looking for answers! It is just that we have different topics and unique problems that we are trying to solve. The business approach is to direct you to an interactive phone line or website where you diagnose your problem through frequently asked questions. Many times this process will give us the information we need and the guidance to apply it to our lives.

Just as we are looking for answers and solutions to our physical problems we are each look for the solutions to our spiritual issues. Since each of our needs are so different and rooted in our unique journey there is no way to draw specific answers from the scriptures. When we don’t find our specific solutions in the words of the Bible we conclude it is an old book that is not relevant to our life today and we continue in the struggle to live life on our terms and in our own strength.

Are you tired of living your way and in your limited strength? Then I would encourage you to look at the scripture from a new perspective. Instead of looking at the pages of the Bible to find specifics; view it as a book of knowledge about God. The Bible is God’s personal letter to us and in its many chapters and verses is the truth about God. From these verses we learn about God and develop a relationship with Him.

As our knowledge of God grows we trust Him more and begin to ask Him for guidance and wisdom for our lives. It is in the context of our relationship that God speaks specifically to our problems through the scriptures, our conversations with others, and that the small still voice of the Holy Spirit in our mind.

This seems so backward….when we need answers to first seek relationship; but that is God’s design. It is in relationship with God that we find trust and security so that we are open to receive his guidance in our lives.

Are you willing to put your relationship with God ahead of your need for answers? If so stop seeking the solution to your specific problem and praise God for what he has already given you; praise him for his generous love and invite him into your heart. When Christ lives in you there is peace and joy in life.

You do not have to build a relationship with God you can continue to live life on your terms and turn away from the knowledge of God in his word. Just be aware that when Satin robs you of God’s Word he will soon kill your faith and destroy your life. Satin comes to rob, kill and destroy; God gives life, love and peace. The choice is yours and what you choose will determine your fate not only today but for an eternity. Choose wisely!

Spiritual Lesson

accidentalpreacher — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:11:41 +0000

Thought 4 Today: There are spiritual lessons all around if we are open. When Sam was little he loved the Lion King; I like the part where Rafiki tells Simba that the past is hard and he can either learn from it run from it. On thing Rafiki missed was giving God your past and being forgiven so you can forgive others. Is thee something you are running from? Give it God & seek his forgiveness; it will change your life.

Give to God what is on your heart. It does not need to be spoken in just the right words; pour out your heart to God and he will comfort you and give you forgiveness. Then pass on the forgiveness and find peace!

Why do you carry a burden in your heart? God is waiting to hear from you!

Blessing for the Day!

Pray and Obey

accidentalpreacher — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:17:07 +0000

Thought 4 Today: I have dreading the task of setting up the church website for a long time. Today the Holy Spirit revealed an ad on my desk and said call now! I did my part and made the call; within 30 min. the website was domain was secured (more details later). Is there a task you have been dreading? Maybe it is a physical task or saying your sorry to someone..whatever it is pray & obey to be blessed by God.

Has God put something on your heart that you have been avoiding? You will not have peace in your heart as long as you are running from the task that God has for you to do. You may not even realize that you are running because you are keeping so busy all the time that your mind can not process everything.

Think of your mind as a hot water heater. If you want hot water it has to stay in the tank long enough to be heated; if the water flows all the time there is no way that the tank can catch up and provide hot water so all it produces is luck warm water.

If you keep your mind running all the time with busyness to avoid doing what God is calling you to do; you never have time to process your thoughts and find peace. If you are not listening to God and finding peace you are luke warm and not hot or cold for Christ. In the book of Revelation Jesus warns us about be luke warm – this is not pleasing to Him.

Take time to pray and obey today. It will lead to a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Moving Forward

accidentalpreacher — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:10:42 +0000

It has been a long time since my last post. Many wonderful things are happening in the life of the church and I need to get back to posting an up date on the blog. I will start my thought for the day and move forward from there.

The Vector Principle says when a line runs above a plane; a small change at the beginning point of the line makes a significant change the farther out the it goes. Applied to our life; a small change in life will make a huge change as it ripples through our life. 10 min. in the Bible or prayer, exercise, eating less, etc can make a big difference. Try one small change today and God will bless it!

God Blessings for Today!

Out of Touch

accidentalpreacher — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:40:29 +0000

Some times the events of life overwhelm us and we feel so out of touch with life because we can’t keep up. That is where I have been since my last post! With family health situations, remodeling our house and keeping up with work I did not have enough hours in the day to keep up the blog.
When life is overwhelming we tend to draw into ourselves and away from our families, friends and even the Lord. The worst thing we can do is draw away from the Lord because then we are disconnected from our only source of eternal strength.
No matter how busy or overwhelmed you are please don’t let go of the Lord…..Take a few minutes to read the Lord’s Word and pray. If you are looking for a place to start in the Word go to the book of Joshua and read what the Lord told Joshua when he was taking leadership after Moses’ death. Joshua must have been overwhelmed and afraid but the Lord said:

¹ After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. ⁷⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

I pray you will meditate on the Word of the Lord day and night so that through the power of the Holy Spirit you will be strong and courageous in all that you do!

Maintenance

accidentalpreacher — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:28:54 +0000

Spring is a time to dig out of the snow and grime to prepare for a season of growth. As the days get longer and warmer we turn our attention to out-door projects such as the yard and cleaning the salt and mud from our vehicles. The other day I pulled the Harley out of the garage and parked it on patio so that I could get the other vehicle out and when I walked by I noticed that the rear tire was down to cords; there was no rubber left on the tire.
I quickly changed my mind out riding that day; loaded it on a trailer and took it in for a new tire. About the same time I got into the car only to discover a two cracks running across the windshield. Neither of these things resulted from a wreck instead they are items that need to be replaced to maintain the vehicles and keep them in proper working order. We expect to perform maintenance on our homes and vehicles so why should our relationships be any different? Relationships take on a life of their own and if we are to keep our relationships healthy we must invest our time, talent and treasure not only in our relationship but in the people we love and care about.
Just as the condition of our personal relationships is a direct result of the time we invest; the condition of our spirit is a direct result of the time we spend with God. If you are feeling, lonely, alone, unloved, overwhelmed or just hopeless maybe you should consider spending a little time with our Lord.
When was the last time you had a spiritual tune up? A spiritual tune up is as easy spending a few minutes with God in prayer, reading the scriptures, reading a devotional, listening to Christian radio or surfing inspirational websites. I know from personal experience that if you ask God to speak to you through the power of the Holy Spirit your burdens will be lighter and you will feel the joy that surpasses all understanding.

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

Reflections

accidentalpreacher — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:05:01 +0000

One of the most vital instruments we use in preparing for the day is a mirror. Whether combing your hair, shaving, brushing your teeth, putting on makeup, or just checking your appearance; we spend a lot more time in front of a mirror than we realize or care to admit.

Would you ever dream of getting up in the morning pulling on some clothes and going out into public without looking into the mirror? Yet we do not see a problem with going for days or weeks without spending time reflecting on what is behind the face in the mirror. Because we do not see our attitudes, thoughts, feeling, and emotions we may fall into the old habit of “out of sight, out of mind”. Yet our thoughts and attitudes are often the determining factor in a our spiritual relationship with God.

A strong relationship with God takes time! It includes having the discipline to reflect on our attitudes and behaviors by comparing them to the standards set forth in the word of God. But before we can compare we must know the standard. That is where the time committment comes it. It takes time to read and learn God’s word and it takes practice to move the words from the printed page to our heart. Yet if the Words are not written on our hearts they have no affect on our thoughts or attitudes, let alone our behaviors.

The next time you feel yourself getting, angry, sad, or disappointed; don’t be so quick to blame your feelings or attitudes on someone else or the situation at hand. Take a moment for spiritual reflection and ask yourself “is there speck of guilt, sin, sorrow or forgiveness inside me that is fueling the fire? If there is take it to God in prayer and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you are honest with yourself and with God the Holy Spirit will reveal to you to source of the problem so you can treat the source and not the symptom.

Reflection is good for the soul! I pray you will take a time today to reflect and pray ~ it might change your life forever!