Alone.... Part II

My friend with the ailing heart is going in for a quadruple by-pass at 5:00 am on Tuesday morning. I've prayed with him already. He's not saying much and I'm sure that he is thinking over time. He is 57 years old. His father had open-heart surgery at the age of 58 and did not survive the operation. This man is one of many that hold in reserve their real view of life. He has been like a little brother to me. His name is Glen. Please pray for him after reading this. I'm sure that the Spirit will lead you in the right way to pray.

Where is He?

Do you feel out of touch with the Lord? Can you locate him anywhere? Does He seem out of reach? Do you see him when you attend Church? Do you really hear from Him during the sermon? Has He been showing up at your meetings? Is He in your imagination? Is there a true sense of His presence in your life? Can you tell when it's Him? Is it His perogative to speak with us? Is He avoiding our relgious habitat?

I don't have all of the answers but I am starting to see a correlation between our ability to recognize the movements of God and our willingness to not live in a controlled relgious atmosphere. Does the Spirit have room to live and breathe when totally ignored and un-invited? This is not a criticism of the institutional church. This is more about investigating the individual choices that we make. It has become very clear to me that there is NO substitute for a real relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Father will not bless our religious duty. He won't condone our self imposed moral ethics as a substitute because they violate the purpose of the cross. There is only one who had the righteousness to please the Father and He gave His life on our behalf. He was ressurrected on our behalf. All that is finished. Jesus said, "It is Finished". So what do we do now?

I think that asking the right questions is great place to start.

The Recording Studio

I remember back in my high school days driving by a building on McMorran road in Bakerstown, Pennsylvania. I was fascinated with what was going on in this building because of my interest in rock'n roll music. The building was only one floor and looked to be about 1500 square feet. It looked rather neat because the front of the building was a nice looking yellow brick. There was a couple of brothers back in high school that played in bands and did some recording. This building was their recording studio. I never got a chance to go into that building but I was always fascinated with what it might be like inside a recording studio.

It turns out about 15 years later that this building and property was purchased by Pastor Ron's new church community. We were located in the north hills of Pittsburgh and so the name of this new church was called Northfold New Testament Church. We managed to cram ourselves into that building on Sunday morning's and during the week we met in several homes through the northern suburbs. It seemed like Sunday morning was kind of an extension of what was going on in the homes throughout the week. At best we could get maybe 75 to 100 people in there at one time. That's how I remember it anyway. It may have been a bit bigger than that. It was small and intimate and we were having a lot of fun. There was a pioneering spirit among the people. We all knew that we were breaking new ground. We were doing something that we never did before and we felt that the Lord was leading us into a great adventure.

It was a small beginning but you could sense a momentum within and you knew that this little recording studio was not going to be sufficient for very long. The atmosphere was different than the one at Carlo's church. This group of people were having a lot more fun. I was starting to feel more comfortable. I didn't have time to reminisce anyway. In fact, I soon forgot that this little building was ever a recording studio.

Next up.....

Rock Star to Worship Leader

Alone

Most of us have a circle of family and friends. The circle can be large or it can be small but there is a circle for most of us. I know a fellow that has a very small circle. His circle is not only very small but very fragmented. It's interesting to see what develops later on in life with people. We all travel down a road that eventually comes to an end here on earth. It's when you get to the end of the road that things become a bit more ominous. There are many more things that threaten the once secure feeling that you had as a young person. More things are behind you than ahead of you, at least on this side of eternity. This fellow that I know has a tough demeanor about him when you discuss spiritual things with him, he seems to change into someone else, some other person. He goes on the attack by denouncing much of what most people believe about God. He's angry about something.

Just recently there has been a little crack that has opened into this man's hardened heart. His natural heart might be in trouble. He has been diagnosed with some heart problems and for the first time I have seen a bit of fear in his eyes. I pray that the Lord will use this as an opportunity to open his eyes and ears to reveal the real love that God has for him and that the Lord himself will become his closest friend during his time of need. After all, his circle is very small and so his options are limited.

There are millions of people like this in the world. They need no one it seems until tragedy or misfortune comes and then they begin to feel like they are in outer darkness and very much alone. I would call this kind of life an imprisonment. We are all capable of building our own prisons and they all can look quite different. The walls can be made of different ingredients. This man has a wall of bitterness and a wall of shame. Some of us have walls of selfishness and fear. I can tell you this much, these walls are real and they ruin the most precious gift that God has given and that gift is freedom.

I understand this scripture a whole lot more now:

Luke 4:14-19

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Going Mad In March!

This is the month that College Basketball fields a 64 team tournament called March Madness. It's the only time of the year that I watch College basketball. It's an intriguing event because there is always a number of upsets by teams that are considered underdogs. Many of the underdog teams have been able to overcome the odds against the much better opponents. If a team wins one game they survive and move onto the next bracket. It's a one game tournament every game. You win, you're in! You lose your out! 64 teams start the tournament and narrow down to the final four team tournament. Those four teams play and then the winners play in the championship game.

This kind of competing is fun to watch because it's the one game drama every time. The game has to be won or you go home for the season. You have to qualify to be in this tournament with your regular season play. This kind commitment and competition in sports is what drives much of the human spirit. People like sports because they see people working hard together to accomplish a victory. There is something noble about playing a good game and giving it your best no matter what the outcome may be. It's being in the game that counts. Being an observer on the sidelines is enjoyable to some extent but the thrill of being a part of a team and actually playing the game is much more exhilarating and does more to develop commitment within relationships. There is something beautiful about sport and so I have to believe that our Lord enjoys the relationship and commitment that athletes have with their teammates. He's probably more interested in the human element of sport rather than the game itself. I'm sure the Lord loves seeing the self sacrifice that teammates make for one another. It's usually the best team that wins. That means that unity is a critical issue in sport.

Aah, what a lesson in life that the sporting world reveals to us. We need others to achieve our goals. We can try and go it alone but it just won't be very satisfying. We were created to need and commit to one another. God had a wonderful plan when he thought about the human race. He wanted us to love and commit to Him and then love and commit to one another.
That is a beautiful thing! Just imagine what we can overcome when unified. We too can win the big game against what appear to be insurmountable odds.

God's principles are universal. They work in sports and they work in other pursuits in life. I wonder what kind of a team the church would be if they followed God's Coaching rules about unity in Ephesians 4:10-13

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

I love America

I love America. Yep! That's what I said but it's not because I am Davey the Patriot. I love America because God put me here. If God put me here then I have to be grateful. I know how self-made and self indulgent this country can be but I also see some good things. The one thing that impresses me the most is "Freedom". Yes, our freedom allows everyone of us to have opinions and even some very bad ones at that (but that's my opinion). God and America are the same in that respect. God has given us freedom as well and He sees how we mess things up and still loves us and never gives up on us. The United States tries to mimic God with all kinds of political influence. It certainly not a perfect system but it's probably the best of the worst. The perfect government is a righteous monarchy. Yep! A kingdom led by a perfectly righteous King. That form of government will eventually rule the world for all eternity. No more human checks and balances, infighting and political bickering.

The United States looks very selfish and caught up in itself by much of the world. We look that way because we have not always been responsible with our freedom. I really get upset with the "God Bless America" thing sometimes. He has already blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. I want America to bless God but you know what. It's our choice! We actually have the greatest opportunity on the planet. We are free to choose by God and we are free to choose by our country.

There are attacks on our freedom all the time. There are imbalances and prejudice for sure in the USA but we are still free. I cannot imagine what it would be like not to be free. Our tax system makes you wonder sometimes but all in all we can make our own way in this country. Have we drifted away from God with our freedom? Probably, and that will always cost us as a nation and yes, the Lord wants nations to acknowledge Him just like he wants individuals to acknowledge Him. We have squandered so much with our liberty. We are not perfect by any means but I'm glad that I live here. I really do love baseball and apple pie.

Obama's Pastor

I watched the evening news last night and saw Senator Obama's Pastor screaming and yelling at the top of his voice. He was condemning the nation over it's pre-occupation with war and racism. It's very difficult to watch him because the anger in his preaching style takes precedence over his message. I would think that his tirade is going to be very damaging to the Obama campaign. The senator has been a member of this man's church for 20 years and so many people are going to wonder about Senator Obama's involvement in this church.

After watching this video recording of the pastor several times I began to see the reality of the bitter resentment in the black community. I am sure that there are many churches that use the pulpit for political purposes and I'm sure that there are many predominantly black churches using the pulpit the same way. Angry people are usually hurt people. I know that when I am hurt deeply that I too can get enraged. Obama's Pastor does give some kind of satisfaction to the members of his church. His ranting is for all of them. His anger is a spanking from all of his hurt parishoners. Many of the church members were interviewed about Pastor Wright's angry preaching but they see him as a pioneer of freedom and a necessary voice for the black community. Senator Obama said that the anger was counter productive but that it is real.

I don't have a political agenda about all of this but I do see another part of the human race deeply wounded and hurting. I can't understand the hurt that exists among African Americans. I would have to be born a black American to really understand all of that. I do understand what it is like to be betrayed and how it makes you suspicious and infects your mind. Behind all of these deep wounds and personal pain is the root of all evil and it is not money. I never really understood the hate that God has for sin. God only hates one thing and that one thing is sin. Sin is the human disease that separates us from Him and leads us into all of this tragedy.

We don't often recognize it as sin but we all hate sin for the same reason that God hates sin. When we are lied to, we hate it. If someone steals from us we hate it. If someone rapes one of our own, we hate it. We hate to be slandered. We hate to be made fun of and we hate to be used and manipulated. Sin is the venom for all of this behavior. Reverend Wright looks like a man possessed with anger when you watch those TV re-runs of him. This is not a racial issue to me. This is nothing more than typical behavior of mankind when separated from God. The by-product of that can be racism along with a thousand other hurtful sins.

Politics and Religion..... Those two can really stir the pot. I really don't think that the Lord is going to use politics or religion to clean up the mess we have made. His solution is going to run much deeper into the human soul. The apparent problems that exist in the world are just symptoms of our separation from God. All of the kingdoms that we have built will have to fall someday and when they do then His Kingdom will come and His rule will come to establish real peace on earth. Until then, we will continue to live in this turmoil.

Trailer Park

The move to Pittsburgh was filled with both anxiety and excitement. I kept my job with the insurance company that I was working for in West Virginia. They transferred me to a Pennsylvania location close to Midland, Pa. So off we headed to the great unknown. Dar and I and our baby boy Aaron were on our way to a new home in Curtisville, Pa. Someone in Pastor Ron's church found us a home to rent in a trailer park. It was called Deer Lakes Mobil Home park. Our home was a modular house and not a trailer. It's strange when I think about that house. I really can't remember much about it. I can't remember sleeping or eating there. I only remember playing football in the hallway with my little boy. I also remember him taking a nose dive off the front porch and cutting his chin.

I had to travel almost 90 miles back and forth everyday to my job. That was a bit frustrating at first but I began to adjust. I had no idea what the Lord had for us in Pittsburgh. I was just trying to survive and keep the family afloat financially. I have to admit that the move initially caused me to invest more time in my insurance career. I was not about to let my family starve. I felt such a great responsibility toward them. I didn't have any aspirations to do ministry like I did in Follansbee. I thought that I was coming to Pittsburgh to learn how church was to be done and so I felt that I should just offer my time to what ever Pastor Ron was doing. Ron had left the Christian Missionary Alliance church long before I arrived. He was planting a new church in the North Hills. I was just trying to get to know the people. It was kind of exciting. It seemed that most folks wanted to hear my music initially. They also were very interested in the Nashville story and so Dar and I were welcomed into this new community by all. I didn't know what to expect. I had very little background in church. I can look back now and see my focus changing from the God-centered passion that I originally had in Follansbee to becoming more of an observer. I felt that I was out of my element. I was somewhat intimidated actually.

There were many more professional types in Ron's church. The cultural was much different than West Virginia. I didn't feel as free. I felt constrained. It wasn't anything that the people did. It was all inside of me. At the same time I could see that my music was going to be in high demand and that I would be doing a great deal of singing during the Sunday services. I felt like a cowboy on a bucking bronco. I was in the saddle and it was my job not to get thrown off the horse. I was just trying to hang in there. I was way too young to evaluate what was actually taking place.

My quiet times with the Lord were filled with why's and how's and what do I do next Lord? This was a whole new world to me.

Next up....

The Recording Studio

The Accountant......

Yesterday my accountant and I had a brief but interesting conversation. He was inquiring about my charitable contributions to my former church. He said that his daughter attended there for awhile and wondered why I resigned as the men's pastor. I was short and to the point and told him that it was a good experience overall but that it seemed to be no different than working for Allstate Insurance (My former employer). My accountant seemed quite troubled over his church experience as well and has never been able to plug into the system although his desire to know God has not diminished but grown over the years. I was a bit startled by his comment because most of our conversations over the last 10 years have revolved around business and sports.

This guy is an accomplished professional and a very good family man. He didn't rant about the church being hypocritical like a lot of folks who just like to complain. He really didn't see the relevance of all that was going on within the church. He is a guy that religious Joe would criticize for not attending church and yet Joe would never see this man's hunger for God because religious Joe thinks attending church is the solution.

I offered to get together with my accountant and talk more. Lord, help him on his journey. I really think that he is on to something.

Radical Reality of John 1:5

John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The radical reality of that verse may be that we cannot understand a thing about God because we live and walk in darkness. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have seen folks, including yours truly, look absolutely dumb founded over who God really is and clueless as to what He is saying. We have accumulated centuries of man made perceptions about God and most of us rely upon those perceptions. What if they are wrong? Is it possible that we are doing this all wrong? Shouldn't each and every one of us have our own journey? What if these perceptions are darkness and not reality. What if our traditions have actually hindered our soul searching and replaced it with a religious life style. What if all this religious duty is a waste of time?

If Jesus paid for our sins, why are we counting them and keeping track as if we can do something about them. I can see why the "God is Dead" slogan became a modern day perception. There certainly doesn't seem to be any real intervention by God in Christian America. Why is He silent? There is a perception that things are happening but in reality the church is in decline. There is some joy and there is some community. There is some good teaching but where is God? Have you ever wondered why He doesn't break into what we are doing and shake the very ground we stand on? Why does He give us so much freedom? I don't think we know the answers to those kind of questions because religion wants no part of the risk involved in asking them. We cannot rock the boat of the economic machinery that we have built. It may actually cost us something to seek God about these things and He may no longer leave us in control anymore. We just do not want to believe that what we are doing may actually be quenching the Spirit of God. I think that we live in our perceptions and our perceptions are not always reality and know this, a religious man does not want God to be in control. That is also the nature of darkness. It wants to deny us God's light and keep us in the dark about the real things of the Spirit.

Think about the radical reality of this verse in John. How much in the dark are we and how dumb and clumsy are we because of our sleep walking? We always use this verse against those who have not yet come to Christ but this verse is truth for anyone. It is radical and it is reality.

This whole topic sounds like an awesome idea for the lyrics to a new song.

Want to join the band?

A New Beginning...

It's interesting to look back at your life and see how everything played out. When you make decisions at a very young age you are just beginning the process of the sowing and reaping of your decision making. There is usually a cost to every major decision that we make. At the time of any major decision there are different things that influence our thinking based on our life experience and more so on whether we lean on emotion or logic. Leaving West Virginia was very painful for me because it represented my first established freedom. It was the place that I established my dearest friends in life. It was where I found my bride for life. It was the scene of a great spiritual renewal in my life.

I left with a heavy heart but I also had the hope that Pastor Ron's church in Pittsburgh would be the necessary balm that I needed. Maybe I could learn how church was really supposed to work. I really didn't like what I saw in most of the churches in West Virginia. They were rigid and legalistic. There was little grace to be found. Without grace there is little joy because none of us can do everything right anyway. My original group was not about any of that. We were infatuated with our new life in Christ and we accepted each other unconditionally. It was the most unity that I have ever experienced in the body of Christ. To this day, I have a hard time relating to organized church life. I have seen things simaler to what I experienced back in Follansbee. I have seen unconditional friendships in the institutional church. I have seen many blessings in many places but I haven't seen the unity and power that existed in that little band of indians back in Follansbee.

Was it God's will that I move to Pittsburgh? I hate to say this but, "It really doesn't matter". We rarely are in tune with God when we make decisions at the age of 25. It's the freedom that He gives us to make our own journey that is so cool about God. There would be no mystery or adventure to life if we were made to be clicked and dragged around like a computer image. We have a very important part in all of this. It has taken me almost 60 years to understand that this is what is so magnificent about our God. He gave us the ability to empower and to write our own history. Yes "His Story" and "Our Story" can actually compliment each other and give Him great pleasure and give our life great meaning.

Here's a little morsel that I have learned: Our life in our own mind seems to be our own journey but in reality our life is meant be a journey back to God and then a journey with God. There are a lot of lonely people that die lonely and robbed of God's hope for their lives because they never pursued Him once.

My move to Pittsburgh was a new beginning to my life long journey and I can tell you this much for sure. The roads on our journey are rarely straight. This one seemed like a detour.

Next up....

Trailer Park..