Before we consider “Cash for Clunkers,” the government’s latest stimulus project, I’d like to thank our guest bloggers and preachers who allowed me to spend the last six weeks finishing a devotional book manuscript and marrying our son Kirk to our new daughter-in-law Chelsea. But of course, the preachers weren’t “guests” at all, but rather key leaders and pastors on our senior leadership team here at Pioneer. Without their passion for Christ and ministry, we wouldn’t be the Pioneer we are. So, thank you! Karen says that when it comes to the passage of time, I’m no optimist. It didn’t help that when May came I began announcing that the summer was essentially over. But I couldn’t help it, and turns out it was true! Anybody know where this summer sped? The school bells start clanging bright and early Monday morning—and a brand new adventure is launched. And that goes for Pioneer, too. In two weeks we begin what I’m praying will be a life-changing journey into “The Temple,” our new fall pulpit series that begins August 27. I hope you can share the voyage on Saturday mornings at Pioneer or 24/7 at www.pmchurch.tv. So are you considering the government’s three billion dollar “cash for clunkers” offer? Perhaps you’re already one of the happy new-car drivers who traded in that old gas-guzzling clunker for a $4,500 (or $3,500) subsidy toward the purchase of a brand new economical upgrade. I’m not here to critique the CARS (car allowance rebate system) program. Americans jumped at the offer—and the first billion dollars was gone in less than a week. And besides, getting a half million wheezing, polluting, gas-slurping vehicles off America’s roads—what’s not to like? But may I remind you that God beat the government to the punch and long ago launched the most successful “cash for clunkers” program in the history of the universe? Three billion dollars? Much more! God emptied the treasury of heaven at Calvary in order to make this declaration: “Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to [the sinner with the filthy garments] He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes’” (Zechariah 3:4). God’s great gazillion dollar exchange offer—all the Bank of Heaven’s fortunes in exchange for my polluted and polluting, guilt-ridden, death-trap clunker of a life. There’s only one hitch—you have to act upon the offer. That’s the way it is with trade-ins. “O God, I desperately need to trade-in my moral bankruptcy for your priceless gift of Jesus’ perfect salvation.” Pray that prayer and you exchange the junk heap of history for an eternity with him. And what could be a greater stimulus than that?
Pastors' Blog
By Pioneer Pastors
Moses Maimonides, a physician and rabbi who lived in the twelfth century, worked in the court of the sultan of Cairo by day and cared for the destitute of that city by night. He began each day with the following prayer:
“Deem me worthy of seeing,
In the sufferer
Who seeks my advice,
A person Neither rich nor poor,
Friend nor foe,
Good nor evil.
Show me only the person.” Seeing in the sufferer only the person in need is not only a manifestation of our faith in action, but also a lead-by-example command of God (see Matt 20:28 or Gal 5:13-14 for starters). During the school year, students, staff, faculty, and community members alike can be found putting this faith into practice (I’d like to make clear that opportunities like this are not just for University students, but there are many the church family and community can be involved with in a variety of ways as well). To emphasize this point, I’ll share just a snapshot of what our Andrews students do in a weekend of service. On January 31, 2009, during some of our worst winter weather, the outreach ministry report read something like this:
This week we had a record number of volunteers working together! Throughout various locations in Berrien Springs, Benton Harbor, and Chicago a total number of 158 volunteers gave 470 hours to interact and minister to over 500 people.
It was followed by a detailed report of how many student volunteers help in different ministries and locations, how many people they worked with, and listed highlights that went on in each of these areas. And this is just a small representation of the collective effort of God’s people to hasten His soon return. How are you incorporating this mission into your own life? If you are not already involved, there are plenty opportunities to join in. But perhaps James calls us to action in a more fitting way: “But don’t just listen to God’s word, you must do what it says.” (James 1:22 NLT)
Irony. Simply defined it is when the expected outcome is totally opposite of what actually happens. Sometimes irony is laughable and sometimes it is profound. In the book of Esther we find a little bit of both. Take for instance, that Xerxes, king of Persia, dismisses one wife because she won’t come when called, only to marry another who boldly enters his chambers uncalled. Imagine that Queen Vashti’s dismissal was to be an example to the women of the realm that they should obey their husbands, however Vashti’s replacement ends up making her husband, the king, obey her wishes. And all the feminists stand to their feet and applaud. Of course, feminist or not, there’s something that makes us want to cheer as Haman leads his nemesis Mordecai on a horse proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” The scoundrel, he deserves to be humiliated. We have no problem when the gallows Haman built to hang Mordecai is used for Haman himself. Haman was the bad guy; he deserved his comeuppance. Really?
Then how about this irony? King David, a murderer, adulterer and cheat, is said to have a heart just like the heart of a loving, merciful, just God. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a threesome that should have been associated with polygamy, lying and theft, end up being associated with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Forever! Isn’t that ironic? Think about it. The Sinless Savior should have been the first to throw stones, but the sinless One was stoneless and stopped all the other stoners dead in their tracks, so a woman caught in the very act could go free. It’s simply ironic, that the Creator of every herb-bearing seed was hung on a tree, so that we who deserve that curse could have access to the tree of life. Paul said it best this way, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Ironic? But that’s what grace is all about. I believe grace, not irony is the underlying theme of the book of Esther. It is the underlying theme of our lives, even when we don’t realize it, even when we don’t accept it; God’s grace is there for us.
This brings me to what I feel is the most profound irony in the book of Esther. Here in the only book of the Bible that makes no mention of God, God is teaching us that He is always there. All the evil that the enemy meant for us, He wants to transform it for our good. The real irony is that although grace is free to all, not all will receive it. Yet to all who receive Him, He gives power to live beyond a life of irony.
At the time of writing this, I have been two weeks with little to no secular media contact—no TV, no radio, and only sporadic minimal connection to the internet for work purposes. (I've been at Michigan camp meeting.) My only reason for commenting on the lack of media infiltration into my life is to let you know that this will not be a commentary on what has been happening in the world—but more of what is in THE WORD. It seems the secular media is always full of bad news—telling you what the devil has been up to all day long.
In doing some research for our Contagious Adventist seminar publication this fall, I’ve been seeped in a study of “the sanctuary”. The sanctuary shows the badness of sin and the goodness of God. So, as our nation celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence I invite you to consider making a declaration of dependence—on the One who has been turning bad news into good news for 6,000 years. The story of the Good Balloon Man (as told in the children’s story this Sabbath) is a wonderful illustration that there is value in being bound to something that will only lead us in the right direction. What does your life declare to your family, friends, neighbors, the universe? What we declare is a reflection of what we believe the sanctuary declares.
Ever feel like the flight you’re on is going down? Karen and I just returned from two weeks in Europe—taping a Waldenses documentary (for the Andrews University School of Architecture) in Torre Pellice, Italy, and celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in Grindelwald, Switzerland. After the recent Air France Flight 447 tragedy, travelers are even more sensitive to the possibilities of midair trouble. But our overnight flight to Europe was uneventful—until about five minutes before landing in Frankfurt, Germany—when there was a loud explosion near where we were seated, two rows up and on the opposite side. The explosion was followed by a loud roaring sound that only grew louder as we flew. Suddenly yellow pieces of insulation began shooting up from the aircraft wall into the cabin. A couple passengers jumped from their seats and fled to the other side. And we all began coughing from the insulation in the air. I don’t mind admitting it was a scary time. Your mind and heart are racing over the unknown. Is it a fire, or did a hole blow in the side of the Boeing 777? Naturally we were praying. The flight attendant on our side was yelling that her intercom was cut off. And I’m quietly thinking that this flight isn’t going to make it to the airport. But all the while there was no erratic movement of the plane. And eventually the loud roaring sound quieted away. Only coughing now. You can understand the relief in the air was palpable when the wheels finally touched down and passengers began applauding. Soon the copilot came on the intercom and in the great understatement of our flight announced: “Some of you may have heard a sound in the rear of the plane . . .” He informed us that one of the hydraulic lines running down the side of the aircraft had burst open, spewing insulation into the cabin. We have no idea where the line ran to—but praise God it apparently wasn’t to the wings or tail flaps. We were safe—hallelujah! Moral of the story—we must never take for granted our prayers for each other’s safety. Life is an uncharted flight at best. And while God is the pilot (like the sign in front of the church said, “If God is your copilot, you’re in the wrong seat!”), life can still be unpredictable. And uncertain. Hence our need of each other’s prayers. In that regard I solicit yours as I begin a writing sabbatical, to finish a 366-page devotional book for the Review and Herald Publishing Association that I began last summer. Eight months of devotional readings are now written, leaving me to write the four months of September through December over the next four weeks. So please claim Philippians 1:6 on my behalf—“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And that, by the way, will be one flight guaranteed not to go down . . but up forever and ever. Amen.
Until the black boxes can be retrieved, the cause of the crash of Air France Flight 447 over the Atlantic Ocean Sunday night will remain unresolved. Some have speculated that the aircraft suffered a midair disaster related to what scientists call the "intertropical convergence zone"—a nearly continuous band of colliding weather systems that stretches across the Atlantic at the equator from South America to Africa. The ICZ is the hotbed of some of earth's strongest storms, with massive thunderheads at times towering up to 60,000 feet above sea level. That has led some to speculate the aircraft flew into that brewing meteorological cauldron and suffered a catastrophic event associated with the weather. The discovery of floating aircraft debris two days later was grim confirmation that all 228 people aboard perished on that ill-fated flight. And we grieve for their loved ones. The reality is that all trans-Atlantic flights must fly through a "no radar" zone, a space above the ocean beyond the reach of air traffic controllers on either side of the Atlantic. Hundreds of flights every day traverse that swath beyond the reach of radar for hours at a time. Naturally, pilots rely on the on-board radar systems that monitor surrounding weather and other aircraft to assure their safe passage. The tragic accident Sunday night is a reminder that the forces of nature are unpredictable at best. Is it any different with life? Clear skies can morph almost instantaneously into a deadly brew of trouble. A phone call at 2 a.m., a doctor's grim report of the test results, an unobserved vehicle flying through a red light, even an innocuous little email—have you noticed, unforeseen high altitude turbulence can throw your life into a tail spin in a split second? For those times we all have faced and will yet face ahead, I'm grateful there is no swath of air space we traverse that is beyond instantaneous contact with God. It may feel like he's asleep in the midst of your storm right now. And it may appear that you are going down. But in that midnight fury when the panicking disciples cried in desperation, "Lord, save us," the gospels shout into the wind the good news that Jesus stands up in your crisis and raises his hands to the maelstrom with the quiet command, "Peace—be still" (Mark 4:39). A supernatural peace in the midst of the storm is only a three-word prayer way: "Lord, save me." For truth be known, God isn't within radar contact—he’s at the controls of your flight. And no matter how stormy the night, he will have the last word. Even if your flight goes down.
The CNN.com headline caught my eye: "Americans not losing their religion, but changing it often." The lead story was of Ingrid Case, a 41 year old freelance writer and editor in Minneapolis, who grew up an altar girl (acolyte) in her Episcopalian church. But after college, she drifted away, uncomfortable with her church's theology, eventually meeting and falling in love with a man who himself was searching for religion. Eventually the two of them joined the Society of Friends and became Quakers. She told the reporter, "It wasn’t so much 'You people stink and I'm out of here,' as 'I like this better and this is what I want to do.'" (http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/27/changing.religion.study/index.html) Turns out she's not alone. According to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life "more than half of American adults have changed religion in their lives. . . . Just under five in 10—47%—have never changed faith." According to Gregory Smith, research fellow at Pew, "You’re seeing the free market at work. If people are dissatisfied, they will leave. And if they see something they like better, they will join it." Such changing can be the result of moving to a new community, marrying someone of a different faith, not liking their minister or liking another pastor more. "The reasons people change are as diverse as the religious landscape itself," he said. And interestingly, factors you'd think would lead people to change religions, actually don't have much impact—such as sex abuse scandals in the church or science "disproving" religion, etc. Many reported that like Ingrid they simply drifted away. On the other hand, "more than half the people who are raised unaffiliated are now affiliated. More than half [of those people] say they joined their current faith in part because they felt called by God to do so." So while people who grew up in the church may leave it, it is encouraging to be reminded that people who grew up with no church at all may eventually join it. Flux obviously flows both directions. But the statistic that caught my eye was this one: "Most people who switch religions do so before they are 24." As pastor of a university community where so many are under that age, I wonder how strong the forces of change are within the young adults and teenagers who occupy our pews or who may never have at all. No wonder the jaded and aged king, brooding over his disappointing life, ended his soliloquy with the sage counsel: "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Given the compelling persuasion to change when we are young, isn't it the better part of wisdom to assist our young in defending their faith and securing their beliefs? And for those young with no faith at all (yet), aren't we who have found convincing reason to believe under moral obligation to point them to the very God and Savior we have learned to trust? After all, change is a two-way street. And with the right directions, a U-turn can be straight toward God.
"Where do they all come from?" You can't help but wonder when you drive the freeways of southern California—which we were doing last weekend for the wedding of my nephew, Vaughn Nelson. As we drove back from San Diego to my mother's home in Banning late Sunday evening, the stream of red taillights flowed ahead of us like a winding crimson river, matched only by the yellow-white streak of headlights flowing toward us on the opposite side of the night median. "Where do they all come from?" California boasts more licensed drivers (nearly 23 million) than any other state. And Sunday night half of them must have been on the highway! Makes you wonder, doesn't it? When God gazes down upon this aging planet in the night, what is it he sees? The white-laced blue-green curvature of our earth as seen by the orbiting Shuttle astronauts above us right now? Or does his sweeping eye zoom in much, much closer—beyond the wispy wide-angle shot to a telephoto deep into the dark heart of earth’s inner city thoroughfares? Calcutta, Beijing, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Mexico City, Sydney, Cairo, London, Chicago, Benton Harbor—are we a stream of headlights and taillights to him? "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth" (II Chronicles 16:9). After all, even if we are a rebel race on the run, aren't we still his children? And if we are, then wouldn't a paternal heart of love be on the move 24/7 in hopes of finding even one—just one—runaway lost in the dark but who may be searching for the road to come home? No wonder he peers amidst the ribbons of dark and light: "The eyes of the LORD are on those whose hope is in his unfailing love" (Psalm 33:18). But how can they hope in One they do not know? And how can they know, if they do not hear? And how can they hear, if they are not told? You can't drive away from that stream of headlights without wondering if you're doing all that is in your power to tell them... at least one of them... can you?
I sat in on a conversation with His Royal Highness King Hussein of Jordan the other day. It wasn't in person, of course—audiences with a king aren't even a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But I listened as the king and David Gregory, of NBC's Meet the Press, discussed the precarious challenges of a new Middle East peace. Jordon on one side of the river that bears the same name, and Israel on the other side. And in between and throughout both kingdoms the Palestinian people. And I try to imagine how deeply the God of the universe desires a lasting peace accord. There is a city that all the region's peoples hold sacredly to their hearts—Jerusalem, or Zion, as the Old Testament often called her. Early this morning I came across a dusty line from long ago that spoke such a profound promise for Zion, that it's become the grist for my brooding all day. For in these words I hear a pleading prayer to the God of all the earth to deliver spiritual Zion, composed of peoples not only of the Middle East, but of all the earth: "You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come" (Psalm 102:13). Hasn't the time come for God to have mercy on his community of faith—this spiritual city of the faithful the world over? I'm not thinking Jews or Muslims or Christians or even pagans right now. I'm wondering if this isn't a prayer whose time has come for all of the earth children who long for God to step in and save this planet one more time. As I travel the world and this nation, I meet them again and again—men and women, often professionals and business people the next seat over on that flight, whose minds are open to a radical spiritual paradigm shift, the very shift predicted in the Apocalypse: "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people . . ." (Revelation 14:6). How is God going to pull off such a radical apocalyptic mission to the entire civilization without pouring out his favor and mercy upon spiritual Zion? For unless the church of Christ is dramatically revived, all the royal highnesses in the world won't be able to usher in the long-promised peace. God has chosen to commit his strategic endtime mission into the hands of a very frail and often failing community of faith. I repeat, unless the "set time" for his favor and mercy comes, Zion will muddle through the years, unable to arise to any apocalyptic closure. Could it be God awaits our pleading? Would you be willing to join me in praying the psalmist's prayer? Hasn't the time for God's favor come? Isn't it high time for the church to cast off her hankerings for this fallen culture and offer herself unabashedly to Christ? For if we aren't passionate for him, how will we ever become passionate for his mission? Our board of elders meets today in a special focus on prayer. Next week we begin a new mini-series, "The Issachar Factor," that will call us to such passion. But in the mean time, you and I can lift up this very prayer to God again and again and again. After all, it's the only audience with a King that can answer this prayer.
What do the swine flu outbreak and this year's graduating class have in common? For over a week now global news outlets have made the North American Human Influenza A (H1N1) virus their lead story! And when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the World Health Organization in Geneva both weigh in on the headline and declare varying states of emergency, who doesn’t take notice? Costa Rican health officials are now discouraging the traditional kiss-on-the-cheek greeting. Israeli officials are suggesting that the virus should be renamed the Mexcian flu, since the reference to pigs is offensive to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork. Mexican officials aren’t responding to their suggestion, and who can blame them! After all, no one is sure yet where the virus originated. The good news is that this never-before-seen strain of influenza—a mix of pig, human and bird viruses—can apparently be contained and controlled, much like previous flu outbreaks. And a vaccine is reported to be ready by early May. So public health officials are stressing there is no need for panic. The bad news is that this new flu strain is highly contagious. And therein lies the something-in-common with the graduates of Andrews University this weekend. Not that any of you has contracted this flu (as did a Notre Dame University student this past week). But rather that the very mission of Seventh-day Adventist Christian education that Andrews University embraces is by definition intended to render all graduates contagious for Christ. Which is why our prayer here at Pioneer for all of you who embark on your new post-graduation venture is a simple one. We’ve been honored to be your spiritual home-away-from-home, and your presence here over the years has blessed us. Now we pray a special outpouring of the Spirit of Christ upon you—so that wherever you go in the journey ahead, his radical love for this world will shine through you, rendering you a contagious primetime change agent for his kingdom! Because truth be known (and it is), the most serious pandemic this civilization faces can only be remedied by the vaccine of Calvary’s sacrifice. And because you know Jesus personally, you’re the most logical person on earth (in the school or office or workplace where you’re headed) to be the contagious carrier of his life-giving grace and power. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us . . . and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of [Christ] everywhere" (II Corinthians 2:14 TNIV). So go forth and be contagious for him. We're cheering you on! Subscribe to the pastor’s blog @ www.pmchurch.tv
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