My Gratefulness Journey: A Brief Communion Meditation

Gratefulness or praise has been a journey for me.  The earliest memory of becoming aware that gratefulness would be elusive for me would have been around 12 years of age.  I know this behavior happened earlier, but that is my earliest memory of being aware that gratefulness was something that would have to be trained.  

I wanted a new three wheeler front tire for Christmas really bad!  I thought about it for months. I looked at them in the DirtWheels magazine all the time.  When I got my tire, I remember my mind quickly going to the thing I wanted next. I remember thinking…”this is weird.  Why am I not more grateful for what I wanted forever?”

I remember in my mid 20s battling negative thoughts and hearing the quote, “the antidote to negative thinking is not positive thinking, but gratefulness.” I remember starting to write prayer journals of praises because my mind didn’t want to go there naturally.  I would go on runs thinking, I am just going to praise God this morning, but in 30 seconds I would start to think about things that were wrong or things I needed to work on.

I remember falling in love w James 1:2-3. “Consider it pure joy when you endure trials of many kinds because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance."  Then I learned the navy seal motto is that they thrive on adversity when reading Marcus Luttrell’s book, Lone Survivor.  In it, he writes, “I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission.”

Gratefulness takes work. It is not something that comes natural. We have a grateful muscle that we have to work out.  We can’t rely on our feelings to lead us to gratefulness.

The people who really amaze me are the ones who can go through adversity, crazy hard times, and praise God anyway.  How do they do that? Some that I know seem to have a strong understanding of eternal matters.

As we prepare for communion, we are reminded of the major reason for our gratefulness.  The bread represents His body that was broken for us and the blood represents His blood that was shed. One last thought.  

My latest run in with gratefulness was Jan 6 when Tony lead us in “I Raise a Hallelujah”.  His dad dying of pancreatic cancer, Tony is raising a hallelujah. In front of everyone, without a tear in his eye.  He is raising a hallelujah. I would like to read these lyrics as our prayer:

Raise a Hallelujah Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser
I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemiesI raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!
I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!
Songwriters: Jonathan David Helser / Melissa Helse


#2As we prepare for communion this morning, I would like you to consider the possibility that lack of gratefulness is a major reason for our inability to resist temptation.  

When I was about 13 years old, I remember wanting a new front tire for my three wheeler.  I imagined it giving me better control and looking really cool. I planned the kind I wanted for months.  I thought about it all the time. I would get the dirtwheels magazines and could see myself on the cover of the magazine.  Christmas came, I got what I hoped for and I remember my mind going straight to the next thing that I wanted. I was happy I got the wheel, but once I received it, I didn’t take much time to be grateful for the gift I had received.  

Over the years, I have learned that gratefulness does not come natural.  In fact, I have learned that gratefulness takes work. When I am grateful, I am in a better place.  We have a gratefulness muscle. It takes work to be good at being grateful.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how easy it is it for you to be grateful? How much of the day do you spend thinking about things for which you are gratefulness? Is it easier for you to be grateful or to feel like you deserve more?

Satan wants us to believe that God is holding out on us.  Why is it that the one apple Eve ate, was the one she was not supposed to eat?  Could it be she wasn’t grateful for what she had, and just wanted something more believing that God is holding out on us?

Indeed, perhaps lack of gratefulness is a major reason for our inability to resist temptation.  Our sin, leads us here to this moment

Luke22:19-2019 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.Prayer:Grateful for Jesus.  Thank you for His example.  Thank you for forgiving us. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that helps us be transformed.  Thank you for your love that surpasses knowledge. Thank you for being patient with us. Help us grasp how wide and long, high and deep is the love of Christ.  Father help us build our gratefulness muscles so that we can truly grasp the power of your love in our lives.

Teeter Totters and the Pursuit of Perfect Balance: Communion Thoughts February 2019

Where have all the teeter-totters gone?  When I was a kid, it seemed like every playground had a teeter-totter.  I would often run to the teeter-totter and hope for the ideal partner.  I wanted the perfect balance experience.  I quickly discovered the perfect balance experience was almost impossible.  It seemed I would either be held captive by someone who was heavier and I would often be left suspended high while they laughed knowing my fate was in their hands, or I would be the one in control having to kick my legs hard to allow my partner to have a moment in the downward position.

The best teeter-totter experience probably requires constant corrections of weight distribution unless the partners are the exact weight.  The fact is, life is similar.  We strive to be transformed.  We hope to find the best possible balance in life to be the best we can be.  However, a heavier partner of bad news, an uncontrolled appetite, or relationship gone bad can leave us dangling in the air hoping for a break.

One of my most memorable experiences on a teeter-totter was in the late 80s.  I must have been nine or ten years old.  My partner had me suspended in the air (like always) at Round Lake Christian Assembly in Lakeville, Ohio.  He lost interest and jumped off.  I came crashing to the ground onto my outstretched hand trying to ease the fall.  It could have been worse.  A small slice was taken off my finger, however, this was quite traumatic.  I don't believe I ever got on a teeter-totter again.  In fact, the very sight of a teeter-totter, or going back to where that teeter-totter used to be at Round Lake can quickly bring back unpleasant memories and feelings associated with the moment in the late 80s. Some might refer to this as a "conditioned reflex."

Our pursuit of ideal balance in life, may leave us with unexpected feelings of pain, hopelessness, or frustration.  Sometimes, we may have "conditioned reflexes" from these experiences that leave us wanting to hide or give up never to return to the pursuit of transformation again.  However, Christ can recondition those reflexes.  His grace provides balance to move forward when we mess up.  His power gives us strength to get back on the teeter-totter when we would rather run the other way.  His forgiveness helps us understand we may not find that perfect balance until we see Him in heaven some day.  His resurrection gives us hope in the impossible becoming possible!

The Reckless Love of God

Reckless love-  August 19, 2018 Communion Thoughts

I wonder what thoughts came to mind as you sang that song?  Which words or phrases struck you most?

For me, it was reckless.  

In some situations, reckless means carelessness and thoughtlessness.  Thoughts of a teenage boy or man in his 20s on a motorcycle or ATV when angry, experiencing a loss of some sort, or seeking an adrenaline high first came to mind.  But, I don’t think that is what the word reckless means in this song.

Wen Reagan, adjunct instructor of church history and worship at Duke Divinity School suggests:

“By the world’s standards, God’s love is foolish. It’s extravagant, inefficient, scandalous. It throws a feast for the returning son who ran away with the inheritance and blew it. It hands you its coat when you steal its shirt. It blesses its enemies. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. As Christian mystic Saint Therese of Lisieux explained, it’s never calculating or strategic. As songwriter John Mark McMillan put it, it’s a sloppy wet kiss. Or, in this case, as Cory Asbury sings, it “leaves the 99.” Other sheep, that is. What kind of shepherd leaves the whole herd just to chase down a lost one? Some might say a foolish one. Or a reckless one.”

Have you ever been that sheep?  Have you ever hid in the shadows or raced away up the mountain?  Have you ever ran into a room and closed a door because you were so upset?  To me, this song is about a reckless love of God that fiercely knocks that wall down to pursue you...but it might also be about something else...overwhelming.

This past Thursday, I was running down the trail listening to Reckless Love over and over praying about what God wanted me to say this morning.  As I came up out of the trail, I saw friends (a young couple with three kids) who had battled a crazy tough diagnosis and experienced miraculous positive outcomes through special care.  Just a few months prior, most would have never imagined healing in this world for their situation. However, there they were on a bike ride when a few mos prior it would have been easy to see how the story would not lead them to this moment.  The wife said, “that is my favorite song right now.” I wanted to stay and have a longer conversation, but was already late taking my oldest to baseball. We exchanged words of encouragement and I went on my way. As I ran off (and days following),  I wondered why it was her favorite song. Was it the idea that God's love was reckless?

This morning, knowing she was a blogger, I had a feeling there would be a blog entry about the song.  Sure enough, there was an entry titled “Overwhelmed”. She shared a story of when she had a moment alone in her car. She had watched a video from weeks prior of a turning point in their battle. The video reminded her of the weight of their circumstance. She writes, “The word “overwhelmed” is usually used in negative circumstances. Parents that are overwhelmed by taking care of their kids and their house and their jobs. Families overwhelmed by bad doctors reports. Students overwhelmed by homework. At one point or another we have all been overwhelmed by something, or many things!

But I wasn’t overwhelmed with grief or sadness or fear. No, it wasn’t that. Seeing that video showed me how far God has brought us. I felt the overwhelming love of God in my life. As I was watching the video this song came on the radio. I laid my head back and listened to words, grateful that our story is what it is thanks to Him”

“I hope this song moves you as much as it moves me. Music has a way of doing that. I want to encourage you today. Whatever it is that your are going through, His love is greater. Rather than being overwhelmed by your situation, choose to be overwhelmed by His love.”  

Maybe you can somehow relate.  Or, maybe you haven’t felt emotionally moved by God’s reckless or overwhelming love.  If not, that is ok. At communion, His reckless and overwhelming love does not necessarily have to be felt.  It is celebrated as fact. The prodigal son, undeserving, gets pursued. We are him. The juice we drink reminds us of His blood and the bread we eat reminds us of his body.  As you focus on this moment, maybe you will feel overwhelmed by His reckless love.

References:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/april-web-only/reckless-love-cory-asbury-bethel-music-and-justin-bieber.html

http://www.oureverydayadventure.com/2018/08/17/overwhelmed/

June 10, 2018 Communion Thoughts

Welcome visitors   We are now getting ready for communion.  A time when we remember Jesus’ body that was broken or sacrificed on the cross for us.  We remember his blood that was shed and. We take communion as a way to remember this sacrifice and his resurrection which is the foundation of our faith.   We also confess our sins and remember our forgiveness.

The song we just sang is title, “No longer Slaves.”  Of what fear are we no longer slaves? The first verse states “you unravel me with a melody.  You surround me with a song of deliverance from my enemies.” I think about David. The David who beat Goliath with a slingshot.  David, still battled fear. In Psalm 25:20-22 he states. “Guard my life and rescue me. Do not let me be put to shame for I take refuge in you.  My hope Lord is in you.” David battled the same day to day fears we battle. He had spiritual highs and lows. Times when he was super confident and times when he was very afraid.  I think of the playground as a kid...bullies that may have been around, but when my Dad would be near, all of my fear would be gone.

The song continues:  “In my mother’s wound, you have chosen me.  Love has called my name. I’ve been born again, into a family. Your blood blows through my veins.”  1John 4:7-8 God is Love- The kind of love that seeks the best for us.

John 4:18 States that perfect love casts out fear.  That there is no fear in love. In verse 17, he states, “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement; In this world we are like Jesus.”

Two fears.  Fear of judgment and fear of day to day life events.    

“We are surrounded by the arms of our father and surrounded by songs of deliverance.  We’ve been liberated from our bondage. You split the sea so I could walk right through it.  You drowned by fears in perfect love. You rescued me! We are no longer a slave to fear. We are children of God.

Helpful videos from Dr. Newman-Toker

https://novel.utah.edu/Newman-Toker/collection.php

Imitation or Innovation: What to do When There is Nothing Else to Do

Introduction:

Good Morning!  For those of you who do not know me, my name is Andy Beltz and I am a member here at LCC.  If you are visiting, we are thrilled to have you here.  We are excited about what is happening here.  Rick asked me about six months ago if I would like to speak and I appreciate the opportunity to share one of the most important lessons I have learned about being a Christian.  If you are visiting, Rick will be back and he is awesome. I appreciate him even more now that I have prepared this sermon.  I can’t understand how he brings it the way he does every single week!  While I will do my best this morning, I know imitating him will be impossible,  Imitation is part of what I will be talking about.   Please find your handouts, grab a pen/follow along on the powerpoint.  

Imitation actually became a learned habit for me at a very young age.  I imitated so many people!  At age four I imitated Superman by putting on my superman cape and climbing a tree and trying to fly.  I remember my bus driver having a tape deck in his bus.  He would play the Footloose soundtrack and I loved that song and Let’s Hear it for the Boy.  I remember thinking, “I am going to have a tape player in every car I own when I am older!”   My neighbor would imitate the Iron Sheik on me! Because I imitated shows like that, my Mom would get me bracelets like this: WWJD.  Of course I wanted to imitate Jesus!  There was Karate Kid (save the princess/the crane), Who didn’t want to be Like Mike!  Nolan Ryan, and then Orel Hershiser (one finger curve Breakaway magazine).  One of my big goals as a teenager was to play Division I baseball.  I walked on in the fall of my Freshman year at Bowling Green State University, but was given a speech that put things into perspective.  The head coach explained to me that my situation was basically like Rudy.  I admired Rudy, but with the primary goal to be a physical therapist, I did not care to imitate Rudy.

That was a turning point.  As an 18 year old boy, I could handle disappointment.  However,  school was crazy hard.  Competition to get into PT school was high.  They were admitting 20 out of 200 applicants.  I got a C on my first biology test which was basically unacceptable.   But after making the sacrifice to quit baseball and focus on school, I expected things to get better.  Unfortunately, it was within a very short time that I received a C on an English paper and that took me to my breaking point.  I couldn’t take it anymore.  So, I did what any other 18 year old. boy in the mid 90s at BGSU would have done.  I went back to my dorm room and watched Tommy Boy!  Usually the scene at the beginning where he looks for his grade on the wall  with all of his classmates to see if he is going to graduate, you know, “...D+  I’m going to graduate.  It’s not a grade they like to give out I will tell you that,”  would make me feel better.  But this time, it didn’t help.  I felt so much like a failure.  I felt like there was nothing else I could do.   I fell to the ground crying pounding my fists to the floor.  That is when my straight A roommate walked in.  I will never forget the look on his face.  Talk about awkward!  

You see, when we feel lost, trapped, or that we cannot win, it is then that handling the normal temptations of life can become even more tough.  What do we do when there is nothing else we can do?  We all have appetites that lead to feelings that lead to thoughts that lead to behaviors that make habits.  These appetites, when fed, will release dopamine that makes you feel good.  The more you feed them, the bigger they get. We have appetites for love, meaning, success, money, acceptance.  We can become addicted to not just substances, but we can become addicted to gossip, worry, grumbling, doubt, envy, anger and self-criticism!   In other words, these behaviors become habits-  unconscious events that our bodies seem to do naturally!! 

Indeed, as John Ortberg recently stated, "when appetites go untrained, they become our gods."   For example, what do you tend to think when you are: bored, sad, disappointed, frustrated, scared, lacking confidence, feeling attacked?  We like habits!  Habits are efficient and easy.  Will power is not the best way to train our habits.  When you are 18, will power works great when you come home from a weekend retreat or a week of camp. However, that usually only lasts a few days.  How well does willpower work when you are given bad news?  How well does WWJD work when you are exhausted, feel lost, not sure how things will work out?

Here is the main point of this morning.  This is what I really need you all to know!     

I. Imitation doesn’t work because we cannot manufacture the character of Christ.

A.                  Asking WWJD isn’t bad in itself, but it doesn’t change appetites or feelings.

a.                   Can you relate?

B.                  Did you ever fall prey to the “as soon as myth?”

 .                     I remember being 10 and thinking, “as soon as I am baptized, all these less desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviors will go away.”  

a.                   Did you ever think all your old temptations, behaviors, and habits would all get washed down the drain of the baptismal and you would be a perfect Christian...you just needed to add water?  Perhaps just like instant mashed potatoes...just add water! 

C.                  When we become Christians, there is good news and bad news.  The good news is , our identity is renewed, but our mind is not renewed.  

 .                     So what do you do when there is nothing else you can do? (Liam said, “I go fishing.”)

a.                   Perhaps, you can relate with the Israelites- Cycle of sin?

b.                  Perhaps you never dreamed life would end up like this.  Thought life would be better.  You have tried hard, joined the group, joined the plan, had some highs and lows, but you feel like you are pretty much right where you left off.

c.                   Maybe you hoped you would have more money by now, a bigger house, a better marriage, a marriage period, didn’t get into school you hoped, never imagined you would be alone, didn’t think you would have to put up with a certain illness, or maybe you imagined being “a better Christian” by now.

d.                  I mean, instead of “like Mike” it looks like you are being given the chance to be “like Rudy” and that is not the future you have always hoped for?

e.                   If you are real honest, you are sad, disillusioned, frustrated, sometimes you may not know what to do.  You may even think of giving up.

f.                    What do you do when there is nothing else you can do?  

II.  (Why we need to know) Instead of imitating,  Jesus has a better way- to remain.- John 15:5 (3 translations)

A.                  Remain means abide, stay joined, stay close,        persevere, be faithful.

a.                   Jesus knew life would be different for us.  He knew we could not manufacture his character in ourselves.  

b.                  As we remain, Christ’s character is produced in us through Him.  

B.                  Remaining changes the way you think.  Remaining is not imitating.

 .                     What is the difference between remaining and imitating? Two slides.

a.                   Jesus says, “I know you keep losing to that appetite, but stay close.  I know you lost a loved one, but persevere, I know you think your dreams aren’t going to come true, but just hang on!  If you are faithful, if you know me, if you really stick with me through thick and thin, you will bear fruit.  If you don’t give up when things are hard, if you don’t lose focus on me when you are distracted, you will bear fruit.   In other words, just think about hanging on.  Think about persevering in me.  Don’t think about imitating me.  Think about staying close.  In the old testament it was about following commands. Back in the day, we wanted you to imitate.  Now we want you to keep it relational. 

C.                  Big question: Are you trying to be like Jesus (WWJD) or are you trying to associate with Jesus (remaining)  Are you an imitator or an associator?  I want to be clear, trying to imitate Jesus is ok as long as you do it for the purpose of association.

III. (What need to do)  Focus on growing your relationship with Jesus- on association not imitation.  

A.                  Repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38)

a.                  Repent= Change the way you think

i.Steven Covey subway story.

b.                  Right thinking over time with God’s help- Changed life

c.                   Be transformed by renewing your mind (Roman 12:1-2)

B.                  Clothe self with Christ (Romans 13:14) and have faith He can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

C.                  Hold to His teaching (John 8:31)

D.                 Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:19) (Faith without deeds is dead)

E.                  Find right cocktail of spiritual disciplines (praying, memorizing, mantras- He can do immeasurably more, to know your love that surpasses knowledge, I can’t, but He can, open the eyes of my heart, with God all things are possible, etc, praise/worship, small group time, counseling, sermons/podcasts, serving, listening to inspirational music, memorization, etc.   

 .                     Use these tools to train spiritually.  Ask, are you trying or training?

a.                   Feelings lie.  Don’t wait until you feel like it.  Think the way you want to feel and eventually you will feel the way you think.

b.                  Check your daily routines.  May help to combine physical training.

 .Untrained appetites become our Gods.

F.                  We must become innovators instead of imitators.  

G.                  Jesus will manufacture His character through us.

 .                     He is the vine and we are the branch.  Jesus knew the branch did not produce fruit.  It was the vine that produced the fruit through the branch.  We can’t produce fruit apart from him. 

a.                   We cannot manufacture the character of Christ.  We must let Christ produce His character through us.  We can’t copy the vine.  Focus not on becoming, but on abiding.  Learn to stay close. 

b.                  Production of His character in us will be unconscious.

 .Share unconscious vs. conscious walking/balance.

IV. (Why we need to do it?) He will do greater things through his Holy Spirit (John 14:12)

A.                  Our church is a launchpad.  We are innovators for our changing world.

a.                   If our church were to cease to exist, would anyone other than us notice? (Faith without deeds is dead).

b.                  Community needs us

i.CNN, Washington Post, and USA Today

c.                   We get distracted (Zoo story)- Little boy was told to stay close, but got distracted and got lost.  

d.                  Imagine if we stay close! (pictures of dog owners)

B.                  We are the glove and He is the hand.

 .                     What if I could somehow put Michael Jordan on?  If I could clothe myself with Michael Jordan?  What if Michael Jordan could come live inside you and somehow transform you into him?  

a.                   Exchanged life is when we say, “less of me and more of you.  I can’t, but He can.”   Not by might, nor by power, but by your spirits (Zech 4:6).

b.                  Romans 13:4.  We clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 .Instead of being jealous, I was happy for them

i.Instead of wanting the newest I actually gave more

ii.Instead of getting mad, I understood

iii.Instead of being anxious, I was at peace.

C.                  Imitation is something we do.  Innovation is something He does through us.

 .                     In summary, as long as the branch remains on the vine, the branch doesn’t have to think about producing fruit.  It just does.  Imitation is something we do.  Association allows Him to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine through us.  We can’t, but He can.  Instead of imitators, He makes us innovators.

a.                  Today, if you are kicking the tires of Christianity, we invite you to take the first step of association.  Perhaps you haven’t been sure whether or not you could do all the right things.  You are worried you will never be good enough to be a Christian.  Good news, it was never about you imitating anyone.  It is about you hanging with Jesus.  Staying close.  Knowing Him.  Then, don’t worry, he will produce His character inside you with time.