In the face of fear

I am really good at fearing. I fear the future. I worry about what could happen with my family. I’m anxious about providing for us. I plot and plan and scheme trying to manipulate the future in my mind. I fear.

This past week only gave me more opportunities to practice.

Last night a gentleman in our church reminded me that we fear for two main reason. We fear because 1) we are ignorant and we fear because 2) we are not in control.
1. Ignorance does not mean stupidity, but merely a lack of knowledge. Everyone is ignorant of the future. We do not know what will happen. And when that reality come crashing down on us, fear takes hold.
2. Lack of control is nothing new. In reality, we are not in control of anything, but we feel as though we are in control – most of the time. When that control is taken away, fear takes hold.

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David knew fear. David was ignorant. David had all vestiges of control ripped from his grasp. A particularly telling episode occurred as David fled from Saul in 1 Samuel 21:10-22:1.
“10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
22:1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.” (ESV)

David, in his flight from Saul, runs into the mouth of another lion. Verse twelve says that “David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish.” He feared.
The next verses record the embarrassing antics of the anointed king masquerading as a madman. I am sure that David was not proud of this record. The one who had killed the famous “Goliath of Gath” (1 Sam 17:4), was now spitting and scratching, and playing the fool.
David floundered.
But fear doesn’t have to control. You can trust in the face of fear.
Latter this week we will look at David’s reflections from this embarrassing episode in Psalm 56. There he highlights four action steps we can take to move from fear to trust.

To hear our personal testimony about Fear and Trust you can listen here.

The New and Novel

Some things are enjoyable because they are new. We can enjoy laughing in the rain after a long dry spell, the cool breeze on a summer evening, or an exotic food on a foreign trip.

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But those things can get old. Snow is a novelty, until you have 6 months of it. At that point you never want to see it again!

But some things never get old. Some things only get better the longer you go.
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

God’s grace and gracious actions are new each day. His gifts of mercy, forgiveness, peace, and joy do not grow old because they are ever new.

How McDonalds Strengthens Leaders

Since movies like “Supersize Me” and “Food Inc.” have hit the scene, McDonalds has been getting a bad wrap. Don’t get me wrong, they deserve it, but I thank God for McDonalds for helping strengthen leaders…even if they don’t realize it. And to be fair, the following applies to Caribou, Starbucks, Dunn Brothers (even though I can’t stand coffee), Burger King, Wendy’s, and any other 3rd space.

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1. For providing a 3rd space to have a Bible study

I have no problem with meeting at a local church to study God’s Word. I think that is what the church building should be known for. However, if we ONLY meet at the church to study the Bible, we will begin to draw a line between the “sacred” and the “rest of life.” Studying the Bible with someone in a public space may help bridge the gap between the Bible and “the real world.”

2. For serving such good Sweet Tea

It has become somewhat of a tradition to stop at McDonalds after every overnight activity so I can get my Sweet Tea. There really is no real spiritual significance to the Sweet Tea, it just helps keep me awake while driving the church van on limited sleep. I would say that keeping the next generation alive helps to strengthen leaders!

3. For providing employment to those new, or recently returning, to the workplace.

You may not aspire to being the “Fry Guy” for the rest of your life (although I have thought about it…), but working in that position is a great training ground for future service. Being able to smile while serving someone who just decided to take out all their frustrations from work on you is great practice for ministry in the local church.

Have you noticed any other ways you can thank God for restaurant chains?

Canceling Services Because of Snow

Tonight we will not be having an evening service. That may not be a surprising statement to you because 1) you don’t go to church; 2) your church normally does not have an evening service; or 3) you normally cancel when weather is questionable.
This is not normally the case for Liberty.
We have canceled a Sunday service only one time in the past 4 1/2 years because of weather.

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Is it right to cancel a service?

Here are a few reasons why it is appropriate to cancel a service due to inclement weather:
1. We do not attend services in order to win an award for the most consecutive services attended. If that is your motivation I pity you. You know that you can’t take your ribbon to heaven, right?

2. Services in themselves are not sacred. We gather to worship, we don’t worship the gathering. We may not think of it that way. If a church decides to cancel a service, or stop Sunday evening services except for every second Sunday on months containing full moons and significant Irish holidays, it does not mean that are necessarily heathen.

3. Canceling a service can be a way the shepherd cares for the flock. Shepherds don’t have to make every decision for those under their care, but we must be sure not to provoke them to sin.
If a pastor has consistently taught and modeled the idea that disciples of Jesus Christ must make it a priority to gather and worship with the body, they should be compelled to be consistent. There is a moral weight here. We must not forget that some of our congregation, in attempting to be consistent, will put themselves in unnecessary danger.

For these reasons I am thankful that we have wise leaders who choose to care for the flock rather than win a ribbon (even if it is one of those big long ones!).

What reasons might you add?

When friends just won’t respond

I don’t know if you have ever experienced the cold shoulder of those you thought were your friends. You know the general fare, you leave voicemail, but hear no response. You try texting, no message. You resort to Facebook and they “like” someone’s status, but you receive no answer.

I have a feeling this guy was feeling the same way with his new “friends”. As I ran by the goose was actually staring down the white lawn ornament. I am not sure if it was a “friendly” gesture or not.

Extravagant Giving and the Sin of Hoarding

I have been pondering the sin of hoarding lately. I like security, and often I find security in keeping things around me – whether I need them or not. My stuff can cause me to sin. One thought that has surfaced was: 
how does “waste not-want not” work when “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”? 
I understand that wasting what we have (food, possessions, resources) is equally wrong for we fail to properly appreciate and use what God has give us. 
However, when I refuse to give away or let go of a possession is that displaying a sinful attitude of trusting in my own riches? Could this be a concession to my desire to be self sufficient instead of dependent? Is it a blatant rejection of accepting the reality of my need for “daily bread”?
The Scriptures are full of extravagant gifts given to glorify God, but criticized by others. Perfume upon the feet, a feast for sinners, a dance before the ark, a temple of incredible dimensions, a new robe for a lost son, a life laid down.
These individuals did not refuse to give, and give extravagantly.

Hosanna

As mentioned before, Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite artists. I am challenged by nearly everything he sings and writes. I was running the other day and heard this song in my playlist and it encouraged me greatly as I was meditating on the book of Zephaniah.

Here he discusses how the sang came about. Again, very convicting.