How may I serve you?

Wow, we (www.southbrookchurch.com) closed our UNITED series today by sending our folks out to serve at seven different locations. I had the privilege to serve at Plaza Baptist Church (www.plazabaptistchurch.org) with about 85 Brookies and about 25 folks from Plaza.

I was humbled, impressed, and amazed...these folks joined together to paint the hallways and classrooms in a two-story education building at the church and handed out light bulbs and picked up trash in several neighborhoods. Meanwhile, there were hundreds of other folks at other locations throughout the area doing the same thing.

We were being the church, and it reminded me again, that serving shouldn't only be a special time or place where we do something for others, but it should be a way of life...our lifestyle...our mission...our command...it should be something in our blood...our spirit...just sayin'.

So, for anyone reading this...are you a servant? a servant leader? a servant follower? how 'bout a good ol' servant? Ask yourself, "how may I serve the people around me?"

Courteously revere one another...

"Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another." Eph. 5:21

I've thought about this verse all day....Paul is talking to the Ephesian church and he's transitioning to a conversation with them about how they should live as family.

I just can't get out of my head how life would change...sometimes drastically...if we considered to courteously revere people as we interact with them...everyone.

Think about it....courteously revere. I grew up in the baptist camp in the south and we were taught to respect folk but I have to defer to those of you who understand what it means to revere someone....one friend said "it's a step above respect."

Wow, what if we courteously (that needs no definition) revered (honored someone a step above respect) everyone we come in contact with on a daily basis...no matter who they are...what they do...what we think?

It means we totally die to self, not just talk about it...and we honor them one step above respect. How would that change the way we interact with folks?

Just a thought...

32 years....and more to come

Last week my lovely bride and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. Amazing...it's hard to conceive that we've been married for 32 years. More alarming, our oldest son will be turning 30 in August. What's up with that? I look in the mirror and can't believe I'm old enough to have a son that age...must less four adult children.

We spent our anniversary on the beach (Belleair beach in Florida) with our daughter and Sandy's brother and sister (who by the way celebrated their 29th anniversary last week as well).

During that time, I actually spent some quiet time walking on the beach and looking back at all the activities of those years--having four great kids, staying married to the same woman (or should I say she stayed with me in spite of me), taking several occupational journeys (teacher, interior designer, principal, tractor trailer relocater, editor, writer, pastor), my wife's second bout with cancer, my myasthenia gravis, various moves (Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, and North Carolina), parents aging and the passing away of my mom and father-in-law, kids discovering life (both joyous and prayerful moments), and the list goes on...and on...

It's hard to believe. I think I've forgotten more things than I remember, and I realize that there's still more to come. And in the midst of it all...one thing I know, God has been a constant throughout it all and will continue to be so.

That is comforting to know.

Lifelong learner

The more I travel along this journey called life, the more I realize I know less than I thought. It seems the more I read, experience, absorb, or accidentally acquire it only confirms my lack of knowing...

However, instead of giving up and forgetting about it, I'm learning how important it is to continue learning in order to live life to the fullest...knowing that God wants to take what I read, experience, absorb, or accidentally acquire and allow it to help someone else in life...He never wastes an experience...so why should I?

Resolve to get involved

In my 54 years of living, I've never been one to make new year's resolutions. Basically, I don't want to hold myself to that kind of personal accountability...

However, I've made an exception this year-perhaps because of age, place in life, or maybe the stars are aligned-just kidding. I've resolved, and challenged others to do so, to be involved. Involved in what? In the lives of others...not just involved, but present, available.

I don't want to be someone who is thinking about what I'm going to say next, or what's next on my agenda, or the things I need to complete, or the list goes on...I want to be giving them my full attention.

What was I saying? Just kidding. May your new year be meaningful.

One Anothers...

I've been gathering with a group of guys over the last few months on Monday mornings at 6:15 am at Starbucks...okay, what's wrong with that statement? You guessed it, 6:15 am...

Anyway, it's awesome to see how we're steadily forming relationships and realizing that we face some of the same challenges in life. And the great part is that we come from different walks of life, different ages (unfortunately most of them are younger than me...or should I say unfortunate for me...fortunate for them), and guys who have experienced different life journeys. Yet in the midst of that, we're all united in one thing--trying to live our lives in a way that reflects the love of Christ in everything we do--and we're realizing that's a challenge we all have in common as well.

Over the last few weeks we've talked about the "one anothers"...scripture verses that encourage us how to live with each other. What are some of them?

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Romans 12:10 "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:16 "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."

Romans 14:13 "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. "

Romans 15:7 "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. "

Galatians 5:13 "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. "

Ephesians 5:21 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

James 4:11 "Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it."

1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

1 Peter 4:9 "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Wow, we could spend weeks on what each of those verses mean in how we relate to other people: family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, even strangers. And it's amazing how they are really juxtaposed to many people's "it's all about me" mindset.

So, as we've been encouraged (and challenged) to do, I'd like for you to imagine what it would be like if you lived one day responding (not reacting--that's another discussion) to folks living out the "one another" challenges.

Multiply that by encouraging family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to do the same...that might almost be a picture of what the psalmist said when he penned, "...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

Just a thought.

Love, sweet love....

Matthews 22:36-40.
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

It seems like every few months over the last few years I think about these verses. I find it interesting that Jesus says that "loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind" is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is "love your neighbor as yourself". Why do I find it interesting, you might ask? Hmmm....I'll let you think about it.

Wow, what would it be like if we decided to live one day....just start with one...where everything we did, everything we said, everything we thought reflected that we loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind? Or as it says in a different translation of Scripture (the Message)...

Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

So my challenge for myself...and you, Mr. Phelps, if you choose to accept it (for all of us old Mission Impossible fans) is to live one day by loving the Lord with all our passion, prayer, and intelligence and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Think about it, make all our decisions, all our conversations, all our thoughts reflect that we love God with all our passion, prayer, and intelligence and that we love our neighbor as ourselves.

Would it change our mode of operation? Probably...

For the better? Most likely...

Let's try it. We might like it...