Brokenness is the Pathway to Spiritual Fruitfulness

Dear Friends,

     Today's "thought" confronts us with a reality we sometimes wish were not so.  Yet, it's a truth proclaimed both in Scripture and from the mouths or pens of numerous saints throughout history: Brokenness is the pathway to spiritual fruitfulness.  Before God can truly use you, He must first break you.  As much as we might wish it were otherwise, it is true. This selection comes from the devotional, "Streams in the Desert" by L. B. Cowman (with added content).  Enjoy.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God,

you will not despise.”

Psalm 51:17

     “Those people God uses most to bring glory to Himself are those who are completely broken, for the sacrifice He accepts is, "a broken and contrite heart.”  It was not until Jacob’s natural strength was broken, when “his hip was wrenched” at Peniel (Gen. 32:25), that he came to the point where God could clothe him with spiritual power.  It was not until Moses struck the rock at Horeb, breaking its surface, that cool “water flowed out of it for the people to drink” (Ex. 17:6).  It was not until Gideon’s three hundred specially chosen soldiers “broke the jars that were in their hands” (which symbolized brokenness in their lives, Judg.7:19), that the hidden light of the torches shone forth and brought terror to their enemies.

     It was once the poor widow broke the seal on her only remaining jar of oil and began to pour it out that God miraculously multiplied it to pay her debts and thereby supplied her means of support (2 Kings 4:1–7).  It was not until Esther risked her life and broke through the strict laws of a heathen king’s court that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death (Est. 4:16).  It was only when Jesus took “the five loaves . . . and broke them” (Luke 9:16) that the bread was multiplied to feed the five thousand.  It was through the loaves being broken that the miracle occurred.  It was when Mary broke her beautiful “alabaster jar of very expensive perfume” (Matt. 26:7), and destroyed its future usefulness and value, that the wonderful fragrance filled the house.

     Mary (the mother of Jesus) was not only told of the joy of her being chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, but that her heart would be pierced also -- cut and broken in two, as if by a sword. Overwhelming grief would cut deep into the joys of bearing and raising Jesus.  Peter was broken of his stubborn pride through the crushing and humiliating experience of denying Jesus three times in His hour of greatest need. Yet, through such failure and humiliation, he was made more humble and dependent on the Spirit, readied through the pain of brokenness to lead the early church.  Heartless Paul was broken on the road to Damascus as Christ appeared to him and blinded him, and he was led helpless, dazed, humbled, and broken in spirit, into the city, like a little child.  Likewise, it was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken by thorns, nails, and a spear, that His inner life was poured out like an ocean of crystal-clear water for thirsty sinners to drink and live! 

     It is not until a beautiful kernel of corn is buried and broken in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart sprouts heavenward and grows to produce hundreds of other seeds or kernels. And so it has always been throughout history — GOD USES BROKEN THINGS.  Those who have been gripped by the power of the Holy Spirit and are used for God’s glory are those who have been broken in their finances, broken in their self-will, broken in their ambitions, broken in their lofty ideals, broken in their worldly reputation, broken in their desires, and often broken in their health.  Yes, He uses those who are despised by the world and who seem totally hopeless and helpless, just as Isaiah said: “The lame will carry off plunder” (Isa. 33:23).

     ‘Oh, break my heart; but break it as a field is plowed and broken for the seeds of corn… Oh, break my heart; break it, victorious God, that life’s eternal well may flow abroad... Break it as when the captive trees, breaking icy bonds, regain their liberties.  And as thought’s sacred grove to life is springing, be joys, like birds, their hope, Your victory singing.’ (Thomas Toke Bunch)”

     This theme is spoken of repeatedly throughout church history.  Martin Luther once wrote in similar terms suggesting: “God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man nothing, God can make nothing out of Him.”  Another saint said, “God always builds on ruins.”   Alan Redpath said: “God will never plant the seed of His life upon the soil of a hard, unbroken spirit. He will only plant that seed where the conviction of His Spirit has brought brokenness, and where the soil has been watered with tears of repentance as well as tears of joy.”   Hudson Taylor the famous missionary to China said, “When God wants to do His great works, He trains somebody to be quiet enough and little enough, and then He uses that person.”  Revival, says Isaiah, comes not to those who think they have it together, but to the broken: “This is what the high and lofty One says – He who loves forever and whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.” (57:15).  Being broken is never pleasant, but it is the path that leads to spiritual fruit and usefulness.

     The way God makes us whole is to permit us to go through experiences that "break us" — because brokenness is the pathway to wholeness and restoration.  Pride is like steel that must be softened in the heat of the furnace before it becomes something that can be formed and molded.  The human heart is by nature like hard parched ground which must be watered with tears, and broken by the plow of trials, before the seed of His word can penetrate and take root. The will of man is like a hard lump of clay which the Potter must first pound and squeeze and stretch and then repeat the process all over again, before he can then take it and make it into a beautiful piece of colorful pottery.  Lord, how we wish there was an easier way... 

In His Service, Pastor Jeff

Every Good Endeavor - Connecting Your Work to God's Work

Greetings All!

     This week's "thought" comes to you from Tim Keller's book "Every Good Endeavor - Connecting Your Work to God's Work."   I have not finished it yet (just over half way through), but what I have read is enlightening, inspiring, well-thought-through (as is typical for Keller) and so helpful for those seeking to find meaning and purpose in their jobs or work.  Better yet (as the title suggests), it is helpful for those who would like to connect their work to God's work in this world, and bring redemptive change into their workplace.  In my humble opinion, this book really is a must read.

     We all function according to some type of underlying worldview -- a worldview that guides our choices, priorities and pursuits. "Our worldview," says Keller, "places our work in the context of a history, a cause, a quest... and in so doing it frames the strategy of our work at a high level."  My challenge to you today is to see if your worldview is Christian, non-Christian, or a mixture of competing worldviews spliced together?  Read below and find out...  Enjoy.

The Gospel and Other Worldviews

     "Any worldview consists of posing and answering three questions:  1. How are things supposed to be?  2. What is the main problem with things as they are?  3. What is the solution and how can it be realized?  Leslie Steven's book (Seven Theories of Human Nature) includes Christianity among its "theories," but the author points out how different Christianity is from the alternatives. He observes that "if God has made man for fellowship with Himself, and if man has turned away and broken his relationship to God, then only God can forgive man and restore the relationship." In other words, the biblical worldview uniquely understands the nature, problem, and salvation of humankind as fundamentally relational.  We were made for a relationship with God, we lost our relationship with God through sin against him, and we can be brought back into that relationship through his salvation and grace.

     Plato, Marx, and Freud all identify some part of the created world as the main problem and some other part of the created world as the main solution. The protagonists and antagonists of their respective world-stories are played by finite things.  Thus, Marxism assumes that our problems come from greedy capitalists who won't share the means of economic production with the people. The solution is a totalitarian state.  Freud, on the other hand, believed that our problems come from repression of deep desires for pleasure. The villains are played by the repressive moral "gatekeepers" in society, like the church. The solution is the unrepressed freedom of the individual.  Many people have a worldview that to some degree is indebted to the Greeks or Plato. They think the problem with the world rests in undisciplined and selfish people who won't submit to traditional moral values and responsibilities. The solution is a "revival" of religion, morality, and a virtue in society.  Philosopher Al Wolters writes: "The great danger is to always single out some aspect of God's good creation and identify it, rather than the alien intrusion of sin, as the villain. Such an error conceives of the good-evil dichotomy as intrinsic to the creation itself...  Something in the good creation itself is identified as the source of evil.  In the course of history this "something" has been variously identified as the body and it's passions (Plato and much of Greek philosophy), as culture in distinction from nature (Rousseau and Romanticism), as authority figures in society and family (psycho-dynamic psychology), as economic forces (Marx), as technology and management (Heidegger and existentialists)...  As far as I can tell the Bible is unique in its rejection of all attempts to either demonize some part of creation as the root of our problems, or to idolize some part of creation as the solution. All other religions, philosophies, and worldviews in one way or another fall into the trap of idolatry -- of failing to keep creation and fall distinct.  And this trap is an ever-present danger for Christians [as well]."

     Look again at the uniqueness of Christianity. Only the Christian worldview locates the problem with the world NOT in any part of the world, or any particular group of people, but in sin itself (our loss of relationship with God). And it locates the solution in God's grace (our restoration of a relationship with God through the work of Christ).  Sin infects us all, and so we cannot simply divide the world into the heroes and the villains. (And if we did we would certainly have to include ourselves among the latter as well as the former.) Without an understanding of the Gospel, we will be either naively Utopian or cynically disillusioned We will be demonizing something that isn't bad enough to explain the mess we are in, and we will be idolizing something that isn't powerful enough to get us out of it. This is, in the end, what all other worldviews do... The Christian story line, or worldview, is: Creation (plan), Fall (problem), Redemption and Restoration (solution): 

     1.  The whole world is good.  God made the world and everything in it was good. There are no intrinsically evil parts of the world.  Nothing is evil in its origin... You can find this "creational good" in everything. 

     2. The whole world is fallen.   There is no aspect of the world affected by sin more or less than any other. For example, are emotion and passions untrustworthy and reason infallible?  Is the physical bad and the spiritual good?  Is the day-to-day world profane but religious observances good? None of these is true. But non-Christian story lines must adopt some variations of these in order to villainize and even demonize some created thing instead of sin.

     3. The whole world is going to be redeemed. Jesus is going to redeem spirit and body, reason and emotion, people and nature. There is no part of reality for which there is no hope.

     The Gospel is the true story that God made a good world that was marred by sin and evil, but through Jesus Christ he redeemed it at infinite cost to himself, so that someday he will return to renew all creation; end all suffering and death; and restore absolute peace, justice, and joy in the world forever. The vast implications of this gospel worldview -- about the character of God, the goodness of the material creation, the value of the human person, the fallenness of all people and all things, the primacy of love and grace, the importance of justice and truth, the hope of redemption -- affect everything, and especially our work." 

     That's obviously a bit to chew on!  But I hope it helps you see how the worldview one chooses to adopt will have great effect on how they view their work, carry out their work, and choose to live. My question is:  Do you have a Christian worldview?  Or, like many, have you adopted elements of a Marxist, Greek, Capitalist, or Freudian worldview?  Everyone has a worldview that under-girds their life choices and endeavors. Is your a Gospel worldview, or a syncritistic mix of many others with a small element of Christian lingo or references to Jesus added in?

     And I must stress that it is NOT irrelevant.  Since God commands us: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all you soul and all your mind and all your strength," it would seem to lay upon us as believers an unavoidable responsibility to think things like this through as best we possibly can.  For whatever worldview we have has a profound effect on influencing the choices we make, why we make them, and what we will pursue. It will impact how we treat people, why we love and value the things we do, live as we do, and view work the way we do. 

     So my prayer for everyone is this:  If you have come to Christ, yet retained a non-Christian worldview (or elements from various ones), you will seek (by the grace God gives) to root those elements out and replace them with distinctly Christian or Gospel elements -- something Keller's book distinctly aims at helping us with! 

In His Service, Pastor Jeff 

The Gospel of Self-Esteem

Greetings All!

     This week's "thought" comes to you from Prof. Archibald Hart, PhD.  He is professor of psychology at the Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary.  Hart is the the author 24 books, including: "Thrilled to Death: How the Endless Pursuit of Pleasure is Leaving Us Numb."

     This particular thought deals with the American obsession with self-esteem and offers us some balanced and helpful insights. Many of the things he points out will not come as a surprise to you, since both experience and common sense would affirm the statements and findings he cites. As with many widely embraced cultural trends, they can tend to go to unwise and even counter-intuitive excesses and extremes before people realize the claims of their wonder-working power were grossly exaggerated.

     This article comes from "Faith and Culture," a book that offers a collection of articles on hundreds of topics relating faith to culture.  It is by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington. If you are looking for a book with short and interesting articles across a span of topics, this is a book you may consider purchasing. This particular article is entitled: "The Gospel of Self-Esteem."

The Gospel of Self-Esteem

     "Is high self-esteem all its cracked up to be?  If you suffer from low self-esteem are you doomed to failure?  What new picture of self-esteem is emerging from the science of psychology, and how does it agree with God's Word on the subject?  In the upheaval of the late 60's and early 70's, the concept of self-esteem took off. "If only we can help people to feel better about themselves, we will solve many social problems and mental illnesses" became the driving force that sent teachers, parents, and even the states of California and New York in the 1980's scurrying to set up commissions and task forces on self-esteem. It became a national preoccupation that has now ended as a hopeless quest.  Research now conclusively shows that such efforts do little to improve social problems, academic performance, success in the workplace, or even to enhance our happiness.

     The bottom line is that while everyone intuitively recognizes the reality of "self-esteem," there is no evidence that by boosting these self-feelings one can accomplish more in life.  Research psychologists have now clearly demonstrated that self-esteem is the CONSEQUENCE of accomplishing something significant in life, not the CAUSE of accomplishments or failures.  In his 1994 presidential address to the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman, a significant leader in the new "positive psychology" movement, denounced several "sacred cows" of psychotherapy, one being that in order to reduce mental illness we should try to increase the self-esteem of our children.  He stated: "undeniably, depressed people have low self-esteem. But bolstering self-esteem without changing hopelessness... accomplishes nothing."  He received a standing ovation!  His research shows that teens from the ghettos have the highest self-esteem ratings of any group, not the lowest!  The problem is that their self-esteem is "unwarranted."  As we teach and counsel others, we must caution one another to identify and address the myths that have penetrated the whole concept of self-esteem. Sermons abound on how one is to "love oneself," but we need to carefully interpret Matthew 19:19. We must be mindful that our participation in newly emerging worship styles is radically God-centered and not unduly influenced by the self-esteem movements emphasis on my needs and my feelings.

     Perhaps we need to pay more attention to the wisdom that Paul expresses in Romans 12:3 which tells us all we need to know about the self-esteem problem even though its focus is not on low self-esteem, but rather on an inflated and distorted sense of self.

"For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  Romans 12:3

     Paul outlines the essential ingredients for building a Christian understanding of what I call "authentic self-esteem," an understanding and acceptance of yourself for who you really are. There is nothing wrong with being imperfect. Sometimes feeling bad acts as a stimulus to do better or try something different.  It can prompt confession, change, and courage.  One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a parent is to always protect your children from pain or failure. By cushioning them from feeling bad, the self-esteem movement has made it harder for us to feel good. It has encouraged cheap success. From the words of Paul I deduce that the essence of a healthy self-attitude must be based, first, on an honest and truthful self-understanding and image ("Think... with sober [honest] judgment); then, second, on a willingness to accept that you are who you are, created in God's image ("in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you"). All other self-feelings lead to self-hate. Your attitude to yourself (which is what self-esteem is really all about) must be based plainly and simply on thinking about yourself with complete honesty. You must own your flaws and your strengths.  It must never be dishonest (Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought"), not exaggerated or distorted.

     Many psychologists have pointed out that the struggle often is with an "internal filter system" we develop early in life that tends to deny our successes and hoards the memories of failures. Self-honesty requires one to be diligent in challenging these denials. After all, in God's kingdom there is always forgiveness and restoration.  No matter how inadequate you may feel about yourself, or how insignificant your life may appear to be on the outside, you should always remember that the grace of God covers every shortcoming.  You will always be precious to him, however you feel about yourself.  One can never go beyond the reach of his grace and forgiveness. Here lies the key to how you should feel about yourself: Your self needs to become more and more transparent to itself as you become less and less self-conscious. This is authentic self-esteem. You need to know who you are, how you have been redeemed, and how precious you are to God -- NOT because you are wonderful, but because he has made you his child."

     As I mentioned, experience and common sense would lead us to many of the same conclusions.  I once had a foster daughter who did not do well in school.  All of a sudden, in one marking period, she went from failing to straight A's. She came home ecstatic!  But we wondered how it had happened, since she hadn't studied any harder nor done any more work then she ever had?  It did boost her feelings about herself for a short three or four weeks, but she soon began to realize she got an "A" pretty much no matter what she did, and was allowed to re-take tests as many times as she needed to get it. She even came to feel somewhat betrayed and foolish and resent their manipulative attempt to play with her mind and "boost her self-esteem" by giving her grades she did nothing to deserve. In essence, it back-fired, since like most kids she knew it was all a game.  She knew, and we knew, that despite what studies at that time were saying, there is no evidence that by boosting these self-feelings one can accomplish more in life...  self-esteem is the CONSEQUENCE of accomplishing something significant in life, not the CAUSE of accomplishments or failures."

     Just some wise, insightful, and much needed food for thought, Pastor Jeff

Amy Carmichael

Greetings All,

 This week's"thought" comes to you from the well-known missionary to India, Amy Carmichael (1867-1951).  And since her life-story is as inspiring as the thought I shall reference at the end, I would like to share a little about her life before I share the excerpt from her book, simply entitled: "If"
     It is less than 100 pages long and contains only one small thought or reflection on Christ's love on each page. The first is: "If I have not compassion on my fellow-servant, even as the Lord had pity on me, then I know nothing of Calvary love."  With much blank space left on each page, I have sometimes used that space to write further thoughts on her reflections of Christ's love. (Should you desire to read more of Amy's life, the book, "A Chance to Die," by Elizabeth Elliot, is a superb biographical account of her life and work.)  Enjoy.

Here is her fascinating story:
     Amy Carmichael was born in 1867 into a well-to-do North Ireland Christian family.  In her teen years, she was educated at a Wesleyan Methodist boarding school; and at age 13, while still in boarding school, she accepted Christ as Savior.  When she was age 18, her father died, leaving the family in difficult financial circumstances as he had given a large personal loan that was not repaid.  The family moved to Belfast.  There she became involved in visiting in the slums, and seeing the terrible conditions under which many women and girls worked in the factories, she began a ministry with these women.  It was a work based on faith in God alone, and He met the needs in most remarkable ways. She later developed a similar ministry in Manchester, with her mother at her side...

     In 1892, at the age of twenty-four, Amy received her "Macedonian Call" and went as a missionary to Japan.  But there she met with disappointments. The Japanese language seemed impossible to her, and the missionary community was not the picture of harmony she had envisioned.  Likewise, her health was also a problem.  After 15 months as a missionary, Amy became convinced that Japan was not where God wanted her...

     She arrived in Madras in November of 1895, a discouraged, confused, and ill young Irish woman.  She was 28 years old.  Soon after her arrival, she contracted Dengue Fever, which laid her low for a period of time.  She was sent to a more healthful place to recuperate.  In that community she saw that the church was very "active" but there were no changed lives.  She detested the meetings with the other missionary ladies -- drinking tea and gossiping and showing very little concern for the eternal souls of those about them. She felt so alone.

     The following lines are so appropriate concerning the missionary community in Bangalore:

Onward Christian soldiers,

Sitting on the mats;

Nice and warm and cozy

 Like little pussycats...

     Amy just did not fit into the stiff, staid, missionary community of Bangalore and subsequently went to the very south end of India to live with another missionary family.  The Walkers were a godly family that really understood the Hindu religion and the tremendous need of reaching out...  For several years Amy, along with a daughter of the Walkers and several Christian Indian ladies, began an itinerant ministry through the villages in the south tip of India.  They were dubbed the "starry cluster," for the Indians recognized the sincerity and light that shown forth from them.  The members of the band had no salary, simply looking to God to supply their needs.  Their attitude was "How much can I do without that I may have more to give?"  It was during this period of time that she took on the habit of wearing Indian dress, which she continued throughout her lifetime.

     A life-changing experience took place in 1901.  A little five-year-old girl, named "Pearl Eyes" by Amy, was brought to her by an Indian woman.  The child had been sold by the mother to the temple and there was being prepared and taught all the degradation of temple prostitution. Twice she had run away only to be caught, carried back, beaten, and subjected to the terrible perversion of that Hindu temple.
     Finally, as she was running away again at night, she met with this understanding woman who brought her to Amy.  Amy gathered the little child up into her lap and picked up a rag doll and gave it to the child to play with.  It was then that she truly understood the evil of the temple practice.  Little Pearl Eyes talked freely as she played with the doll.  She told Amy things that they did to her in the temple, demonstrating them using the doll.  The date was March 7, 1901.  Amy never forgot that day nor the child's story.  It was terrible beyond imagination.  This was the beginning of her rescue of these children who had been dedicated to the temple gods.

     This incident led to the founding of the Dohnavur Fellowship.  Over the years literally thousands of temple children have been rescued and other ministries established there at the Dohnavur Fellowship in South India.  In 1918, they began to rescue baby boys, for they likewise were dedicated to the temple gods and goddesses.  Other areas of the work over the years were added such as hospital, schools, printing, etc.  Amy was not understood by many of the missionaries in India.  She was also greatly resented by the Hindu priests and was frequently taken to court on charges of being a kidnapper.
     Amy was greatly influenced by the life of George Mueller and ordered her work on the same basis, never asking for financial help except as she winged her petitions to the God of all grace.  In 1931 (at 64 years of age) Amy had a fall that left her an invalid for the remainder of her life, and she seldom left her bed.  It was during this period of her life that she was most prolific in writing -- the profits of which were used to help fund the work.  Occasionally someone would wheel her in a type of wheelchair out onto a veranda where her children would gather outside and greet her and sing to her.
     It's interesting that most of the children who are there do not know their birth dates, so they reckon on the day they arrived at the Dohnavur home, and call it the "coming day." That becomes their birthday. On the coming day there is a special occasion with special treats and new clothing; and they honor the individual in some way.
     Temple prostitution played a major part of Hinduism. This practice was known by the British who governed India and had been spoken against, but nothing ever happened. However, through the "campaigning" of Amy and some other concerned people, temple prostitution was banned toward the end of Amy's life. From the time Amy set foot on Indian soil to the day she died in 1951, she never returned to her homeland.  She went 55 years without a furlough, passing away at 84 years of age.  Somewhere, in an unmarked tomb on the compound at Dohnavur, Amy was buried.  She didn't want a marker placed over her grave.  She simply wanted to remain a part of the Dohnavur Fellowship she had started.

     Amy's thought from her book "If," which in many ways describes how she continued on in her ministry, is as follows:

     "Sometimes when we are distressed by past failure, and tormented by fear of failure in the future, we should again set our faces toward Jerusalem. Nothing helps so much as to give some familiar Scripture time to enter into us and become part of our being. The words "grace for grace" have been a help to me since I read in a little book by Bishop Moule something that opened their meaning. (Till then I had not understood them.)

     He says: The word "for" means "instead."  "The image is of a perpetual succession of supply; a displacement ever going on... The picture before us is as of a river. Stand on the banks and contemplate the flow of waters.  A minute passes, and another.  Is it the same stream still?  Yes.  But is it the same water?  No. The liquid mass that passed you a few seconds ago fills now another section of the channel. New water has displaced it, or if you please, replaced it -- water for water, or water instead of water.  And so hour by hour, and year by year, and century by century, the process holds; one stream, other waters -- living, not stagnant, because always in the great identity there is perpetual exchange. Grace takes the place of grace [and love takes the place of love]; ever new, ever old, ever the same, ever fresh and young. Old grace, new grace, hour by hour, year by year, through Christ."

     "Grace for grace."  Same God, same inexhaustible Source, same infinite flow of undeserved favor, yet ever fresh supplies of grace for every situation.  Our God is an infinite and inexhaustible supply of fresh, cool, springs of living water, always ready to refresh, renew, empower and restore. "To Him who is able to do exceedingly more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power at work in us, to Him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21).  In His Service, Pastor Jeff

God's Little Lessons on Life for Dad

Greetings All,

     This weeks "thought" comes to you from a book I picked up at a yard sale a few weeks back. It's called, "God's Little Lessons on Life for Dad."  No author is mentioned, just the publisher - Honor Books, Tulsa Oklahoma.
     It is filled with encouraging thoughts for dads. This one has to do with restoration. It has to do with learning lessons the hard way, needing to be brought low to be lifted up, and realizing its never too late to change.  "As long as there's breath," as the old saying goes, "there's hope."  Enjoy.

"Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored;

renew our days as of old." Lamentations 5:21

     "J. C. Penny (James Cash Penny, son of a Baptist minister and founder of the chain of stores that bear his name) worked many years to become a financial success before a crisis changed his life. "When I worked for six dollars a week at Joslin's Dry Goods Store back in Denver," he recalled, "it was my ambition to be worth one hundred thousand dollars. When I reached that goal (by 1913) I felt a certain temporary satisfaction, but it soon wore off and my sights were set on becoming worth a million dollars (a goal he achieved in 1924)."

     Penny and his wife worked hard to expand the business -- so hard that one day Mrs. Penny became ill and developed pneumonia, which claimed her life. "When she died," he said, "my world crashed about me. What had money meant to my wife? I felt mocked by life, even by God Himself."

     Several more fiery trials ensued (including the Great Depression), and soon J. C. Penny was financially ruined and in deep emotional distress. At this point, he began to acknowledge his self-centered nature and his idolatry of money, and he experienced a spiritual conversion.

     "When I was brought to humility and the knowledge of dependence on God, it was forthcoming and a light illumined my being."

     $100,000.  $1,000,000.  The death of a loved one.  Sometimes it takes tragedy, not success, to restore us to the divine image in which we were created."

     Penny's conversion surrounded the loss of all his personal wealth due to the stock market crash of 1929. When the financial setbacks took a toll on his health, he checked himself into the Battle Creek Sanitarium for treatment.

     There in the hospital's chapel he heard someone sing the hymn, "God Will Take Care of You."  He repented, turned in faith to Christ, and became a professedly "born-again" Christian.

     He lived to be 95 years old, dying in February of 1971. He was involved with the founding of the University of Miami (being on its board from 1926-1930), started a group called 40Plus which helped unemployed managers and executives, and in 1954 started the James C. Penny Foundation for charitable giving.

     It was crisis, struggle, emotional pain, and the loss of nearly everything which God used to turn his life around. As many can testify, the Lord's gifts often come in the most unusual and unexpected of packages.

Blessings on your day, Pastor Jeff

Being Church

Greetings All,

This weeks 'thought' comes from a pastor named Jud Wilhite who planted a church in "Sin City'" or Las Vegas, though he now affectionately calls it "Grace City." In fact, that's what his book is about -- God's grace reaching down to people caught up in sin. It's title is: "Stripped -- Uncensored Grace on the Streets of Vegas."

The book was handed to me by a person in my church who said: "I think you'll like it. This is what you've been trying to tell us since you came." She had placed a little book mark at the spot where this quote occurs.

I offer it to you as one who, like the author, believes that the church of Jesus Christ is the world's hope -- the Body through which He ministers His extravagant grace in word and deed. I send it out with the earnest hope that maybe Jud (to a small degree) will convince you of the fact that the world really does need the church -- something I often find it harder to convince Christians of than unbelievers.

The world doesn't simply need Jesus (in a private individualistic way, though that is obviously tantamount). The world also needs the church to be the community of faith and grace it was intended by Him to be, thus enabling people to experience through us, and see in us, the grace of Jesus they so desperately need.

If you're looking for a good easy read, I highly recommend his book. Enjoy.

"I believe with all my heart that the church is the world's hope. Government can't change the heart. Education, as important as it is, can't change the heart. Healthcare and Social Security reform won't change the heart. Only God can do that. And he uses people -- the church -- to reach out and impact others.

Many people are cynical and skeptical about the church. And who can deny all the scandals and hypocrisy that occur in the name of God? It is truly awful. Yet, for every scandal there are thousands and thousands of churches making a real difference and doing their best to help others. Critiques and cynicism without solutions don't help anyone. I get weary of idealistic visions of a church community so perfect and pompous that the person telling me of this church wouldn't even fit in -- they'd have too many issues!

My mother always said: 'The church would be a perfect place if there weren't any people in it.' People -- people like you and me -- are the problem. Some think the answer is in the size of a church -- from a house church to a midsize church to a megachurch. Others think the secret is the style of ministry, from traditional to emerging. No matter how you view it, every church community will be messy because it is filled with imperfect people, imperfectly following Jesus. These people may be the problem -- but they can also be the solution. Yes, life is messy. Church is messy. Faith is messy. But let's get over it and get on with helping people experience God's grace.

Many churches, in an attempt to deal with this messiness head-on, have come to value a sense of belonging as primary. Some churches taught (and still teach) that first you believe, then you behave, and finally you belong. For these churches belief in Christ is the first step in being part of the church, but you do not really belong until you behave. But many churches are reversing this order out of a love for people far from God. Their philosophy is first you belong, then you believe, and finally you behave. Sometimes a person belongs for months or even years before they believe. On any given weekend at Central [Christian Church], there are hundreds of people who would not identify themselves as Christians if you asked them. I have friends who attend every weekend who are Jewish and do not yet place faith in Jesus. Or they are agnostic, but like the music. They may be a mix of religions, but they sense the place is real. They are searching. They belong first, and my prayer is one day they will believe. We are honest and straightforward about sin and salvation through the person of Jesus. We do not water down the Bible or the teachings of Christ, but we do accommodate in every other way possible. We love people no matter where they are. Out of that love, life-change will eventually occur...

What should we do to have an impact on the people around us? We need look no further than Christ, our perfect Teacher. The greatest commandments according to Jesus are to love God and 'love your neighbor as yourself' (Mark 12:31). He did not say to love your neighbor if you are in the mood, or if she likes the same hobbies, or if he believes the same things you do. He just says love them. Period. Irrespective of their background and history, Jesus loves them and so should we.

I know of a woman who relocated to Vegas with her husband, only to find her happiness slipping away six months after they arrived. She felt that her marriage, along with the rest of her life, was falling apart. It all came to a head one afternoon, and she sat in a grocery store parking lot with her head down and wept. Suddenly a stranger knocked on her window and said, 'Ma'am, I don't know what is wrong, but I can tell that you are hurting. You should go to my church. They will help you there.'

The woman got directions and drove from the grocery store to Central. What changed her life was not the building, but the people inside. They led her that day into a relationship with Jesus. She was back that weekend with her husband, and as the months went on they credited the people of the church for significantly turning their life and relationship around. This is the church at its best, helping and loving people one at a time."


With Prayers that we might do the same, Pastor Jeff