Whatever Is!

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andysearles — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:26:20 +0000

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Fear & Safety

andysearles — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:51:00 +0000

There aren’t many people who can say that they have ridden a bike, 30 feet above the ground, across a wire…backwards… But I can! This daunting experience happened this past Monday at the MOSI, Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry.

Before you put me in the category of such daredevils as Charles Blondin, there are some things that I have to confess. Firstly, the bike was weighed down with a heavy weight underneath, meaning that there was no way that the bike was going to topple. Secondly, I was strapped in, so there was no way way I could fall off, and thirdly, there was a huge net underneath me so there was no way that I was going to come any where near the floor. Basically, this bold, daring adventure was completely safe.

However, despite running through the safety checks in my head and knowing intellectually that I was completely safe, as the attendant released me to begin peddling, I allowed fear to get the better of me and quickly beckoned him to grab me and pull me back in. It took me a couple of minutes to compose myself, remind myself that I was completely safe before launching out onto the high wire.

The ride itself became less nerve wrecking as I first cycled backwards, and then forwards keeping my eyes fixed upon the attendant, lest I look down and start to panic again. After seeing it was safe, Tracie hopped right on the bike and without a hint of nerves completed the course that I had.

On the way home from Tampa, I was meditating on the experience and realized that my hesitancy to launch onto the rope was much like our hesitancy to take the steps of faith that God calls us to make.

God makes some incredibly promises to us that provide safety and security for us. He promises that he will never leave us, that he will provide for us, that he will be our harness in turbulence, that our needs will be taken care of and a million other exhortations that create for us an incredible safety net as we travel through life. God has never, and because he is God, will never break one of the promises that he makes to us. Yet, whenever we are ready to make bold steps forward in faith we have a tendency to hesitate and question the promises that God has made to us.

We ask, “Will God be there?” and “Will he catch me when I fall?”. The answer is of course is that he will – not always in the way we’d like – but he will.

The challenge for us as we are about to take steps, or push pedals, of faith is to let the facts win. If I had trusted my feelings of fear, rather than the facts of the safety equipment, I would never have ridden. If I had listened to the questions, rather than looked at the answers, I wouldn’t have experienced this energizing, adrenaline pumping moment.

This activity reminded me of the words of Franklin Roosevelt, that “The only thing to fear is fear itself”. This activity also reminded me of the words of Moses to Joshua – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Let’s be people of faith, trusting the faith filled facts, rather than our unfounded fears.

Dispel Fear.

What’s wrong with this Diagram?

andysearles — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:08:00 +0000

I saw this diagram the other day, and honestly, found the whole, concept insane. I realize that this chart is satirical, however, there are a whole bunch of people who think that choosing a religion somehow works like this.

In the comment box below, please share some ideas of why this whole concept opposes a Christian worldview and the real life that is found in Jesus. I’ll start things off…

1) We don’t choose God, he chose us! (John 15:16)

2) If we get to choose who is God, then we must be God.

3) If we get to define God, then we must be God.

4) The words ‘generic’ and ‘boring’ should never be applied to followers of Jesus. We have been giving a life that is abundant. (John 10:10)

5) …..

6) ……

Care for People!

andysearles — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:14:00 +0000

A week or so ago, the Church that I belong to held what we called a “Faith in Action” day.

During this special morning, we put together a bunch of different projects that would help us serve and love our community. We had a great time as we prayed, served, delivered, invited and cared for those within our 32792 zip code. There was plenty of evidence that God is so thrilled when we engage in mission that he graces it with his presence in tangible ways. One of the huge blessings for us was to be able to introduce Jonathan and Bethany to a missionary lifestyle. (See picture)

As with all missionary ventures, there are often situations that make you go “Hmmmm”. My situation, on this morning, came when Susan and I knocked on a door, prepared to invite the residents to our fall festival.

A middle aged lady hid behind her door. She checked out who we were, and when she realized that we were safe she informed us that she needed to come outside and close the door. The following, bizarre, conversation ensued.

Woman: “I need to close the door as there is a squirrel in my house.”

Andy: “Oh… I’m sorry, is there anything that I can do to help you get it out?”

Woman: “No, it’s a squirrel that I am taking care of. It has Down’s syndrome.”

Andy: “Sorry… did you say that the squirrel has Down’s syndrome?”

Woman: “Yes.”

Susan: “Um… well, how do you know?”

Woman: “The Vet told me when I took it in, and it moves a little slower that a regular squirrel.”

Susan: “Oh…”

Andy: “Doesn’t it ruin your home?”

Woman: “No, I call him my little Pez Dispenser because his poop is so solid and easy to clean up”.

Andy and Susan: (stunned) “Oh…”

…we said as we swiftly invited her to our event and looked to exit, both taken back by the rather peculiar nature of this conversation.

As I reflect on this unusual interaction, I am grateful for this lady’s care, but I wish that this lady would have shifted her care in another direction. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to “Carry one another’s burdens, in this way we fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). While it is good that we care for God’s creation, the call of Jesus is to care for that which Christ values the most – people. The way to navigate through life is to seek to ‘fulfill the law of Christ’. We do this by caring not for squirrels… but people.

Care for People.

Suffering Happens…

andysearles — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:06:00 +0000

…It just does. It is a part of the fallen, broken, and groaning world that we are a part of. Suffering takes many forms – markets fall, people get sick, jobs are lost, quarrels ensue, marriages break, loved ones die, tears flow, violence hurts, anxiety attacks…. and a million other incidents and accidents remind us that the world is not as it should be.

In the midst of suffering many questions are raised about why God allows suffering to happen. While this is a huge theological question, debated by brilliant minds over the centuries, scripture reveals to us that God has a purpose for us in the midst of suffering. I believe that there is a redemptive purpose in all suffering… the hard part is finding it!

As Christians, who will experience suffering (John 16:33), we need to be wise in determining what that purpose is. If we can determine God’s purpose through suffering not only does it help us persevere by providing hope, but it allows us to better learn the lessons that God would perhaps want to teach us through suffering.

Unfortunately though, many of us want a “one-size-fits-all” answer to find purpose in suffering. E.g. “This happened so that _______”. The problem is that there is no “pat purpose” through suffering and we must use our wisdom to discern what God’s purpose is for us in the midst of our trial. A “one-size-fits-all” answer to the problem of suffering will at times take us away from determining God’s purpose through suffering.

So how do we determine what God’s purpose is? Listed below are seven questions that I have put together based on some of the purposes that are found in scripture that emerge as a result of suffering. This list is not exhaustive, but perhaps can be helpful as we seek to understand the unique purpose that God has in the unique suffering we are go through.

These are perhaps best used as reflection questions to consider when life gets tough. Here they are;

1) Is this suffering my or our fault? So often we are quick to blame God for our own mistakes and the suffering that is caused by our sin. If the suffering is because of my actions, let’s seek to forgive, repent and change our ways.

2) Is this suffering a painful, corrective lesson because of my disobedience? The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to accept hardship as discipline (Heb 12:7) suggesting that God will use suffering to change our behavior. Is the suffering you are enduring challenging you to be more obedient to God?

3) Is God teaching me to respond appropriately? We read in Hebrew 5:8 that Jesus learned to be obedient through his suffering. It wasn’t that he was disobedient before his suffering, but that his obedience was tested through his pain. Perhaps God would want to test your obedience through your suffering? Will you respond appropriately?

4) Is God reminding me that suffering is a painful part of life? Complacency and apathy are two of our biggest threats to real life. They have the potential to paralyze every part of our being. Yet we only become complacent when things are going well, and we forget that life sucks at times. If we forget that this life is fallen, we can forget that we have one who has raised us up. If we forget that there is pain in the world, we misappropriate and misunderstand his peace. If we forget suffering, we can forget about our need for a Savior. May we never forget our need, dependence and reliance upon Christ! The Apostle Paul says,“…but this (suffering) happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.” (2 Corinthians 1:9)

5) Could the pain that I am feeling be an act of love? Is God working through my suffering to show me more of him? Is he protecting me through this? In some way, could my struggle be a sign of God’s love for me? I know it sounds counter intuitive, but sometimes God will give us a vaccine of pain to protect us from a whole lot more pain. (Romans 8, Philippians 3:10)

6) Am I suffering so that I can share? In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, we read –“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God”. Did you see the closing to this verse? We are comforted so that we can be a comfort! Often God’s purpose in pain is to pull us through so that we can help others pull through. Henri Nouwen calls these kinds of people “Wounded Healers”, claiming that we aren’t fully healed until we use our pain to help others through theirs.

7) Can I trust that there is a purpose, even when I don’t understand what it would be? This is my catch all question, because often there are purposes in suffering that we will never understand this side of heaven. It is important that we recognize our inadequacies and limitations, but it is even more important that we trust God through situations that we just don’t understand. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways are much better and bigger and higher than ours.

Suffering happens. It is inevitable. Perhaps though, these questions can help you determine God’s purpose through your pain. Hang in there!

Find God’s purpose in your pain.

Give Yourself Fully to Missions!

andysearles — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:34:00 +0000

The gospels are very clear about the primary purpose that followers of Jesus have during our remaining time on earth. The direct words of Jesus, the candor within the culture he created, and the larger picture of what Jesus was accomplishing, all point to one fact – Our primary purpose on this planet is to engage in missions.

We are to give our best energy and efforts to bring people into a saving relationship with the God who loves them desperately. Our temporary goal in life, missions, allows us to fulfill our ultimate, eternal goal, which is to bring glory to our great God. Our ability to honor, worship and bring glory to God increases exponentially as we invite others to do the same. Because of this purpose, Charles Spurgeon, the great theologian (who incidentally came to know Jesus in the town I grew up in) once said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter”. He’s provocative, but right!

Because this purpose is of primary importance, it deserves our highest prioritization. Jesus informs us that the greatest commandment was to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul” (Mark 12:30). A commitment to follow Jesus involves our emotions (our heart), our intellect (our mind) and our will (The soul, considered by the Jews to be the center of the will, the nerve center for our actions).

As a commitment to follow Jesus involves us offering ourselves fully to him, so does our responsibility as “Ministers of Reconciliation”. As the Apostle Paul is talking about this responsibility to reconcile men to God he reminds us that;

“Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again”. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Within this exhortation we are asked to once again offer our emotions, intellect and will to the service of God in missions. Look at the words that he uses –

· Compels. We are compelled to do something at an emotion level. The need is so great, the urge so pulling that emotionally we make a decision to do what needs to be done. Paul says that Christ’s love, manifested in everything he has done and won for us, should be our emotional motivation for sharing Jesus. The challenge involves engaging our heart in mission.
· Convinced. This word speaks to us understanding missions within our intellect. When we see the reality of heaven that people will miss out on and the reality of hell that many are heading towards, our task becomes starkly clear. We must engage ourselves in missions. The word ‘convinced’ challenges us to engage our mind in mission.
· “Live for Him”. Paul is exhorting the potential missionaries to “live their life for him”. To change and engage their will so that we are not living just for ourselves, but for the will of the one who sent us. He is asking that we would be convicted to live for Him. This conviction calls us to give our soul to the purpose of missions.

Friend, as Jesus calls us to give ourselves fully to him, we are asked to give ourselves fully – heart, mind and soul – in missions.

The work of missions is only a temporary state because one day we will be in heaven and missions will be no more. As John Piper says, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t”. We must give ourselves fully to the work of missions in this life time… it is our most faithful act of worship while we walk planet earth.

Give yourself fully to Missions!

Shake the Sedative

andysearles — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:58:00 +0000

This past Thursday, I had to take Bethany to the Dentist’s office to have a tooth removed. Because of her age and the nature of the surgery the Dentist had to administer a sedative. “Versed” was the name of this orally ingested drug. It is the kind of sedative that doesn’t put you to sleep, but makes you unable to remember what you are doing or experiencing. (I tried to sneak a little home with me, but they wouldn’t let me!)

This pediatric dentist had a set up unlike any I have ever seen before. The whole office was themed like the inside of a ship, with child sized dental chairs, Disney movies, game consoles, etc. It was very cool and the environment helped Bethany keep her anxiety low before the procedure began. Unfortunately, after a few years of dental neglect, I am not a huge dentist, and Bethany’s low level of anxiety was more than compensated for by mine!

After signing all kinds of papers warning and informing us about what to expect once Bethany was sedated, we went into one of the dental ‘cabins’ and began the process. Bethany drank the sedative and we went to watch ‘Shrek‘ as the medicine kicked in. Within minutes it became very obviously that the sedative had taken effect as Bethany became groggy, hushed, and unclear in her speech.

For the next hour, I sat holding her hand, talking to her as the Dentist (who spoke fluent Dr Seuss) pulled out her tooth. Bethany was a trooper and other than a few hours of staggering afterward around afterwards, did really well.

Throughout this experience, it struck me how different and difficult it was being the caregiver to someone who is sedated – Someone who is present in the moment, yet very obviously not functioning at full capacity. As I reflected on my role, it dawned on me that God probably feels the same way about us and the sedated lives that we live.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13:12, informs us that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Paul is suggesting that the life we live now is a life lived under sedation – we don’t see everything clearly, we are functioning at a lower capacity than we are designed for, and that things are at best ‘cloudy’ for us.

As a father of a temporarily sedated daughter, there are many things I learned yesterday about our heavenly father’s love and our needs as ‘sedated people’. Below are just a few of them.

- When a child is sedated, the father keeps a closer eye on his kid. I did not leave Bethany’s sight once she had taken her medicine, and I am almost sure that for the duration of her surgery and recovery a part of me was always touching her a part of her. She didn’t know what was going on, and while she didn’t need to, she just needed to know that I was there. We have a father, who in our sedated state, promises that he will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

- When in a sedated state, traumatic things can happen. While Bethany did wonderfully through the process and didn’t complain of once, when we are sedated all kinds of traumatic things can happen to us. How much more so does this related to the sedated state of humanity. We are assured by Jesus that in this world “we will have trouble” (John 16:33). Often we don’t see trouble coming or handle it well… because we are sedated.

- When we are in a sedated state, we need help walking. While I really shouldn’t have laughed once we had returned home, Bethany’s attempts of independence kept ending in staggering stumbles. She had no balance. My life sometimes feels like that. Does yours? Life often feels like we are just stumbling around, purposelessly giving ourselves to some things that don’t really matter a whole lot. We need someone to help us walk. In Jesus we have one that we can lean on.

I am sure that there are many more comparisons that I can make between Bethany’s medicated state and our sedated state. As we journey through our life in this fallen, groaning, world we must realize that our sedated state is not permanent. The Apostle Paul promises us that one day we will ‘come out’ of our grogginess and see things clearly. What a day that is going to be!

We will see people, through lenses of love, rather than the sin stained lenses we do now. We will see clearly who we are and how wonderfully we have been formed as well as the purpose for which we have uniquely been made. But best of all… we will clearly see our loving God. We will become lost in wonder, love and awe as we understand the depth of his love, the intricacies of his creation, and the dazzling, astounding glory of who he is.

The good news is we can begin to come out of our haze now.

Shake the Sedation!

I’m a Little Tea Pot.

andysearles — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0000

While repasting E Mail’s I receive is not something I want to make a habit of, this one spoke deeply into my day…

There was a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked ‘May we see that? We’ve never seen a cup quite so beautiful.’

As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke, ‘You don’t understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ‘Don’t do that.’ Don’t like it!’ ‘Let me alone,’ but he only smiled, and gently said; ‘Not yet!’ Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. ‘Stop it! I’m getting so dizzy! I’m going to be sick!’, I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly; ‘Not yet.’He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat I yelled and knocked and pounded at he door. ‘Help! Get me out of here!’ I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, ‘Not yet’.When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! ‘Ah, this is much better,’ I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag.

‘Oh, please, Stop it, Stop, I cried. He only shook his head and said. ‘Not yet!’. Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering ‘What’s he going to do to me next?’ An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself’ And I did. I said, “That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful!!!”

Quietly he spoke: ‘I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any colour in your life. If I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.’

Feels like that sometimes doesn’t it? Listen to the the reverent, tender, words of the prophet –

“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8).

Let it be so.

Soundbites and Snippets.

andysearles — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:10:00 +0000

“You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts.” -Jim Collins

“We must not promote approaches to Bible reading that have more to do with mastering its data than our being mastered by its message.” – Joel B. Green

“In Science, mistakes always precede the discovery of truth” – John Maxwell

“This moment contains all moments.” – C.S. Lewis

“The pupil who is never required to do what he cannot do, never does what he can do.” – John Stuart Mill

“Whenever I see grace, I am moved by God.” – Bono

“If no one has laughed at your vision lately, you don’t have a vision. You have a daydream.” -Steven Furtick

A time of turbulence is a dangerous time, but its greatest danger is a temptation to deny reality. -Peter Drucker

“A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, & who sees before others do.” -Leroy Eims

“Champions don’t become champions in the ring – they are merely recognized there.” –Unknown

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better.” Mother Teresa

“My personal Leadership goal: To be a FRIEND to sinners, BUILDER of the Church, LOVER of people, EXAMPLE of a leader!” – Brian Houston

“Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow; keep ‘em in a pile and they stink.” – Unknown

“I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.” –Peter DeVries

“Life isn’t like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today might burn your butt tomorrow” – Unknown.

Spark the Celebration.

andysearles — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Recently I was walking around Florida hospital South, one of the largest hospitals in Orlando. I was visiting a gentleman who, the previous night, had gone through quadruple bypass surgery. As I arrived early in the morning I had had no idea as to what state he was in after such traumatic surgery. I knew I wouldn’t be able to speak with him, but I could pray with him… perhaps even visit with his family if they were available.

As I steered my way around the maze of corridors, stairs and floors to the ICU, I was stuck by the stark quietness of the hospital at that time in the morning. The floors smelt sterile, having just been cleaned, and as I looked around the starched, white walls a depressing picture was being painted in my mind.

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere a soft, melodious tune began to resound. I was a little taken off guard, but realized that the tune was familiar – it was a nursery rhyme. The tune finished, and then about three minutes later it started up again.

I was curious as to what this was, so when I arrived at the nursing station in Intensive Care, I asked one of the nurses about it. She informed me that this soft tune was played every time a baby was born within the hospital. I had happened to arrive at a time when two babies were born in a short space of time. This thought perked me up a little as I went to visit and pray with my distressed friend.

As I exited the hospital, I was left to ponder two thoughts about this experience.

My first thought was that in places of death, life can still be celebrated. The Intensive Care Unit is reserved for the most critical of patients, and while through the tender care & precise skill of the doctors, many people make it out to progressive care… it is also a place many don’t make it from. It is full of people who have the most serious health challenges. Yet even here, the miracle of new birth is celebrated. How often do we find ourselves caught up in unhealthy pursuits that threaten to kill our soul as Jesus wants to birth new life all around us, and even within us? Let us not become so consumed by pain and destruction that we forget that Jesus is still in the new life business!

The second thought that came to me concerned heaven. We read in scripture, twice within two closely related parables, that there is “much rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents “ (Luke 15:7 & 10). I can almost imagine that in heaven there is some kind of bell or tune that is played when someone decides that they want to follow Jesus. As soon as someone on earth says ‘yes’, or even as soon as someone takes a first step towards repentant behavior, the angels begin their wild celebration. The party commences when someone has been born again and experienced the new birth that only Jesus offers.

I often wonder if that is a job that I could have in heaven? Much like at the hospital, perhaps I could push the button on the CD that plays the tune that sparks the celebration! That’d be pretty cool wouldn’t it?

The great news though is that while we can’t yet ‘press the button’, we can be catalytic in sparking the celebrations in heaven. We can invite people to know Jesus, we can live a life worthy of the gospel that compels others to repent, and we can love so radically that people see how attractive a repentant , Christ following lifestyle is.

When those who know God share Jesus life and story with those who don’t know God and when those who are striving to become close to God enter into relationship with those who are far from God, then we begin to spark the celebrations in heaven.

Spark the Celebration!