Seeking Peace?

Seeking Peace?

June 30, 2016
Megann Graf

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.     Philippians 4:6-9

So often, I think I spend a lot of my time wishing for peace.  Peace in my family, peace for those around me, peace in this world.  I am praying for the peace of God.  But, I have to admit that when I read the little saying in the picture, it challenged me.  Read it again, does it challenge you?  “For all that we think we desire the Lord, in actuality, it is often the peace of God we are after and not the God of peace himself.”

I think that there have probably been many days and seasons in my life, where I was simply looking for the peace of God.  I was missing out on getting more of God Himself.  Just like I find I often pray for things and forget that God’s miracles were always preceded with gifts of thanksgiving.  Thanks was given BEFORE the miracles happened.  Faith is giving thanks before actually getting your request answered.  And perhaps faith is trusting and seeking the God of peace before ever receiving the peace of God.

As much as I want peace in my life, I know that I have to want God more.  As much as I want so many of my prayers to be answered, I know that I need to give thanks for everything, just as it is.  When we do that we find God.  We find him in the middle of a family challenge, a health crisis, or a personal defeat.  We begin to see and feel and know that He is with us.  And when we see Him, we know that His peace comes along.   When our desire for God is stronger than our desire for peace, we put the control back into God’s hands.  We can leave our anxiety at His feet, because when we desire to be in His presence, when we work on seeking God and God alone, then we build trust that allows us to rely on God. 

God is not the by-product of peace.  Peace comes from God.  And the more we can focus on and think on these things He tells us are important- things that are true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable, things that are praiseworthy…things worth giving thanks for, when we learn from these things THROUGH God, then God himself, the God of peace will be with us.  

What Were You Thinking?

What Were You Thinking!?

Monday, June 27, 2016

Jeff Lampl

Pastor and Psychologist Dr. John Ortberg describes this experiment: 

“People were put into one of three groups; one group did nothing; one exercised their pinky finger, a third group spent 15 minutes a day merely thinking about exercising their pinky finger. As expected the exercisers got stronger pinkies. But amazingly—so did the people who merely thought about exercising. Changes in the brain can actually increase physical strength.

He continues,

“No wonder Paul wrote: ‘Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things’ 

Every thought we entertain is, in a real sense, doing a tiny bit of brain surgery on us”

Does this mean that I can I really change? . . . . . 

The answer is “yes”!   You and I can actually rewire our brains, actually change our thought processes.   But it won’t happen through will power.  Habits are what matter.   As Ortberg writes, “habits eat will power for breakfast”.

Citing the newest neurological research, Ortberg says that habits are not just in our brain’s neural pathways, but new habits can actually change those neural pathways so that our brains can be physiologically rewired.   In fact in recent years just such rewiring has been observed visually through neurological imaging technology.

This means we can change!   It means biology isn’t destiny.   The most important part of us can be rewired so that negative people can actually, over time, become more and more Philippians 4:8 believers.

Note not only Ortberg’s mention of the importance of what we do with our bodies, but also his reference to groups implying the importance of an environment that supports the development of new God-centered habits.

“Sanctification is, among other things, the process by which God uses various means of grace to re-program our neural pathways. This is why Thomas Aquinas devoted over 70 pages of the Summa Theologica to the cultivation of holy habits.

It's why 12-step groups appeal, not to willpower, but to acquiring new habits through which we can receive power from God to do what willpower never could.

Neuroscience has helped to show the error of any "spirituality" that divorces our "spiritual life" from our bodies. For example, it has been shown that the brains of healthy people instructed to think about a sad event actually look a lot like the brains of depressed people.

"Spiritual growth" is not something that happens separate from our bodies and brains; it always includes changes within our bodies. Paul wrote, "I beat my body to make it my slave"—words that sound foreign to us, but in fact describe people who seek to master playing the cello or running a marathon. I seek to make the habits and appetites of my body serve my highest values, rather than me becoming a slave to my habits and appetites. What makes such growth spiritual is when it is done through the power and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Paul's language remains unimprovable: We offer our bodies as living sacrifices so that our minds can be renewed.

What habits are you working on which are allowing God to “reprogram” you so that you are becoming a Philippians 4:8 believer? 

Idea!   Start today and continue daily this week meditating on, even memorizing, and certainly practicing Phil. 4:8!

“Lord, thank you for the hope of change.   I want to change.   Lead me into the kind of habits and also into the kind of community that will change me to become more and more like your Son, Jesus, my Lord and my Savior.  Amen”

With Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving

Saturday, Sunday, June 25, 26, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

It is no secret that most of us struggle with prayer.  It is hard work and most of us need someone to guide us.  Thankfully God has left us with the record of believers who struggled with God and thanked God.  They laid out before God all their fears, angers, hopes, disappointments and dreams, the really good and the really bad.  We have the benefit of learning how to pray from their prayers preserved in the Hebrew prayer book, the Psalms.

This weekend spend time meditating on, reflecting on, praying through Psalm 103,

considering to what degree your life is lived out of gratitude to God.

(Read Psalm 103 here)

 Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Overwhelmed Series Finale'

Overwhelmed Series Finale’

Friday, June 24, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Looking forward to Sunday at CLC. Great Finale to our series, "Overwhelmed". What to do when overwhelmed with all the "d" words: discontent, discouragement, disposition to worry, depression, disillusioned . . . . . Check out Philippians 4:6-23

Is it possible for two people to be of one mind when they flatly disagree?

Is it possible for two people to be of one mind when they flatly disagree?

Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Jeff Lampl

“I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn't want his children holding grudges”.    Philippians 4:2 (MSG)

Along with Phoebe, Priscilla, Junia, Mary Magdalene and others, these two women were doing leadership things in the early church, things only men were entrusted to do in the Hebrew, Greek and Roman culture of the day.   Paul commends them for “contending at his side for the Gospel” (Phil 4:3).   However,  (read more)

they disagreed on something so strongly that it was apparently harming the unity of their church.

In a world, our world,  that warns us  to “never talk religion or politics” is it possible to hold differing opinions and even state them, at the same remaining one ‘in mind, spirit and soul’ with another person?   Can an ardent democrat and an ardent republican make a marriage work, for example?

I now believe it is possible.   But it takes incredible maturity, committed self-discipline, and a high degree of confidence in God to do so.

Maturity:   I used to find it simply impossible to believe that people holding views that I deemed completely antithetical to the Bible could call themselves followers of Jesus.  Since then I’ve grown up a little bit.  I’ve learned that my judgmentalism toward those of differing social views is just as sinful, probably more so, than the thinking of those who hold those views.  I’ve also learned that some of the views I’ve lifted up as unassailable had either become “heresy tests” for me to use against fellow believers or weren’t as well thought out as I had thought or didn’t quite have the pure motives behind that I had given myself credit for.

Listening:  I’ve discovered that I can often discover tremendous wisdom in the thinking of those whose views diametrically oppose mine.   By asking questions with genuine curiosity (vs. trying to prove my point or win an argument) and then listening to the reasoning, I have frequently discovered wisdom no less thoughtful than mine, often more so.   I’ve learned that most views on big issues include a whole lot of conflicting factors that make a pure stance on anything almost impossible.  I’ve learned it’s not impossible to hold to the highest Christian Ideal while realizing that no one position on how to play out that ideal will be perfect.

Self-discipline:   The Bible contains brilliant advice (because it’s from God!) on the use of the tongue.   But it’s less than useless unless we heed it.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”   James 1:19 (NLT)

Simply put, I need to shut up and listen, actually listen, actually hear, actually learn, actually turn off my inner “but” and pay attention to what is being said and what is behind what is being said.   I need to get better at this.

Confidence in God:   I am learning that it is God who converts our thinking.  My arguments can’t do that.  Pushing begets push-pushback.   Interestingly the New Testament does not present the Gospel as an argument to be won or a belief to be proven.  Rather the New Testament evangelists simply announce the death, resurrection, ascension and Lordship of Jesus.  The evangelists of the New Testament simply told people about an event in history.   God did the rest.  I have noticed that most people (myself included) are swayed not so much by the quality, rationality, historicity, logic, articulateness of an argument for or against something, rather they are moved by a cheerful, intelligent, loving, and, above all, a calm confidence in God which allows for a deep appreciation of the person they are in dialog with.

“Lord, when I face potential conflict today, tomorrow, this week, please remind me, with a jolt if necessary, to hold my tongue, discipline myself to listen, really listen.   I know that’s the first part of wisdom.  I will trust you to guide me from there.  Amen”

Living as an Expat

Living as an Expat

Monday, June 20, 2016
Jeff Lampl

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything 

under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like 

his glorious body. “   Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

“An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing, as an immigrant, in a country other than that of their citizenship”. 

Kathy, when inquiring about a certain person, will often ask . . . (read more)

“Who is she/he?”

I find that to be a very, very difficult question to answer.   Do I try to describe his physical appearance, her career, his marital status, where she sits in church, how many children he has, her role in the church or community?   I think it’s really hard to assign an identity to someone.

One of the greatest things I have ever read comes from a book in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series (seven children’s books which contain the entire Gospel without readers realizing it – which means the books are for adults too).   The Book is  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  In it there is this exchange between a hard to like boy named Eustace and Aslan the Lion (representing Jesus)

“In our world," said Eustace, "a star is a huge ball of flaming gas."

“Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.”

What is a person, any person?   Is a person what his context, culture, ethnicity, family of origin, and genes, have made him to be or is he something else?

The answer is outrageous, incredible, implausible, improbable, even preposterous and scandalous,  but if we believe the answer it changes everything.  The answer is this.

Each and every human being is created by God, chosen to be a son or daughter of God, loved by God, forgiven by God for their sin at the cost of the life of God in Jesus Christ on the cross.   That’s who every human being is.   That’s their identity.  They are God’s son or God’s daughter.  “See Joe over there?  That’s God’s son.  That’s who he is.  He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Every person is born as a “citizen of Heaven” with full rights to the Kingdom of Heaven and to full acceptance ad participation in God’s family God’s sons and daughters and Jesus’ brothers and sisters.   As child of God with God given DNA each person is also given the dignity of freedom, the freedom to accept this identity or to choose another one.

Jesus will return one day, heaven and earth will be merged, and God’s family will be united in a New Creation.   Every person who has accepted his identity will receive a new body and live a full, vibrant, flourishing life, participating with God in reigning lovingly and joyfully over God’s good creation.

For now we are expats.  But only for a little while.  Here’s the apostle Paul’s advice to expats like he,

“Only let us live up to what we have already attained”.   Philippians 3:16 (NIV)

“Lord, as a citizen of both Heaven and earth, I am so susceptible to allowing my identity to be coopted by the wrong citizenship.  Forgive me for so often not living up to what you have so freely given me.  Forgive me for confusing my citizenships sometimes even mistaking the one for the other.  But most of all, Lord, thank you making even all of that right in your eyes by what you did for me on the cross, Amen”

Who Holds on to Whom?

Who Holds on to Whom?

June 18, 19, 2016
Jeff Lampl

Phil. 3:12 has always been precious to me because of its last 6 words.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."  Philippians 3:12 (NIV)

Psalm 135, vs. 4 in particular, gives us a picture of the fearful power and freedom of God (vss 6-8) who could destroy us in a moment, yet the believer recognizes that it is not she or he who has chosen God, rather it is God who has chosen us.  Read Psalm 135

Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the name of the Lord;
    praise him, you servants of the Lord,
² you who minister in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God.

³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
    Israel to be his treasured possession.

⁵ I know that the Lord is great,
    that our Lord is greater than all gods.
⁶ The Lord does whatever pleases him,
    in the heavens and on the earth,
    in the seas and all their depths.
⁷ He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    the firstborn of people and animals.
⁹ He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
¹⁰ He struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings—
¹¹ Sihon king of the Amorites,
    Og king of Bashan,
    and all the kings of Canaan—
¹² and he gave their land as an inheritance,
    an inheritance to his people Israel.

¹³ Your name, Lord, endures forever,
    your renown, Lord, through all generations.
¹⁴ For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears, but cannot hear,
    nor is there breath in their mouths.
¹⁸ Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

¹⁹ All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
    house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
²⁰ house of Levi, praise the Lord;
    you who fear him, praise the Lord.
²¹ Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
    to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.                                           Psalm 135