RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS: where's the community?

Last night, Antonina was away at a women's Bible study group, so I was home alone. I began to reflect on the value of friends. This last year has been the first time in my life when I did not have daily interaction with good friends. Elementary, middle, and high school are days filled with friends. College is too. After college I worked various jobs, all of which I made good friends at, and lived with neighbors or roommates that were good friends. During seminary I lived in a apartment building with two other families with whom we were friends. At church there was a couple on staff that we were great friends with. But about a year ago, they moved to another assignment and we moved into the parsonage and out of the apartment. Since then, as I look back, there has been a tremendous void in my life. The void is community.

Community is the thing that helps us stay sane. It is what makes life fun, enjoyable, even bearable. Community is our support network that celebrates with us in the good times, and mourns with us in the bad. I think church is supposed to be this way, but only once in my life have I experienced the church being this type of community. So why is community so seemingly difficult?

I think the biggest reason is that it takes time out of already busy schedules. Take for instance the typical Nazarene week. Sunday School, Worship, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Probably you're looking at about 5 hours of commitment each week. In addition, many have other responsibilities such as teaching Sunday School which means lesson prep, worship team which means rehersal, or board/committtees which mean meetings. So how much are people really willing to give to the church?

What is absolutely necessary? It seems to me there are three and only three things the church is called to do: Worship, Disciple, Evangelize. We can couch those words however we want, but that is the basic structure of the church. When churches exist and are missing one of these elements they fail to develop mature Christians. Why do I feel this intense lonliness? What type of corporate discipleship do I participate in regularly? During Sunday School I am usually preparing for worship. I am not really envolved in a small group community. So why would I expect not to feel alone?

I wonder how many people go through life living every day the way I feel today. What if the church made it a priority to meet the most basic of human needs. In community all the things that we want to happen seem to happen better. People learn better, people work better, people worship better, people give better.

I guess beyond this concern lies a fear. Where will I find community? Can a pastor experience this type of intimacy with the people? I have never seen it. Sure there are pasors' meeting (maybe once a month) and sure there are retreats (once a year), but where do pastors find that regular community we all desire and where we all blossom?

All of this brings me back to my original question: where is the community?

How have you seen community developed in you church?

THE REARVIEW MIRROR: 6/14-6/20

Well if last week was a tough week, then I guess this week was a good one!

* I was offerred the job I interviewed for and start on July 5. It pays pretty well and has great benefits. It will support us well. If I take a bivocational position it will be good for us too.

* Sunday was one of the best worship services we've had in a long time

* Monday we found out that the results of Antonina's biopsy. NEGATIVE!!! She is finished with the ENT specialist and is back to just her general doctor.

That is about all, other than the fishing I did, but I already caught you all up on that.

SDG,
Eric

RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS: check this out!

This isn't a monster, but it is the biggest I've caught yet. It was 32" long and I can only guess the weight because my scale only goes up to 8lbs. I would guess the 15 lb range. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. A personal best is always fun...but records are made to be broken!!!

RIVERSIDE REFLECTIONS: war and peace

The past two years have been quite intersting for people in my genreation. We are at war. Never before has my generation had to process all that war involves. Sure, we remember Desert Storm, but we were young enough that we were not asking too many critical questions. We don't remember Vietnam. But now I am confronted by the tough issues that go along with war. Especially as a Christian. How does a Christian respond to war?

I guess I brought this up because it has been brought up multiple times in the past year. During Advent, one of our devotions dealt with peace. We typically pray during Advent, "Peace on earth, good will to humanity." But we are at war. How do we pray for peace while endorsing a war? I had an ethics class where this was debated ad naseum. And just the other night I was listening to the radio as I was trying to sleep, but this night I could not sleep.

Alan Combs was discussing the killing of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. The reports were coming out that there had been an attack and Zarqawi had survived. The Iraqi police were putting him on a stretcher to seek care when American Special Forces came in and executed him. I have been too busy to try and confirm this report, but it is exactly this type of thing that really makes me struggle with this whole issue of war.

Classic just war theorists argue that there are just wars. They must be precipitated justly, conducted justly, and concluded justly. Do an internet seach for just war theory and check it out. The standards established are pretty universally accepted. However, by the established criterea, there has never been a just war, and there is not likely to be one anytime soon. One of the big problems I have is with the killing of non-combatants. Name one war where non-combatants (civilians) were not killed in large numbers. Most just war theorists look to WWII as the benchmark for just wars. But how do they reconcile Hiroshima and Nagasaki? How many thousands or millions of women and children were killed mercilessly with just two bombs? This is just?

How many reports must we listen to about soldiers killing unarmed women and desimating villages before we as a church decry such killing! And yet it is largly Christians who lead and support the war. GW Bush...a good Christian. Did anyone hear the esteemed James Dobson's comments recently..."this is certainly a moral action." Who is he kidding! War is moral? Killing is moral?

The church, who endlessly fights for the right of baby's to live, unashamedly supports wars that kill just as many baby's and women and civilians. When will the madness stop?

Well, I must stop before I ramble on. But every generation must wrestle with these issues and decide what is a propper response. I do know that Christ responded, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Father, forgive us for we know not what we do.

THE REARVIEW MIRROR: 5/30-6/13

I am very sorry it has been so long since I have updated you. Everything seems so hectic and busy, so here is my attempt to get caught up on the events of the last couple of weeks.

- Antonina had a biopsy done on her thyroid. We are still waiting to hear back from the doctor about the findings.

- The church had a budget meeting last Wednesday and had to cut the budget by over 30%. There will be enough money to pay our budget apportionments, pay Pastor Caleb, and to pay the bills. And that is about it. This also includes income from renting the parsonage we are living in currently. This means that everyone who works here is having their position eliminated. Our secratary, janitor (which is me), the stipend we give the treasurer, and the youth pastor (also me) are being let go. So as of Aug 1 I have no job and no home. They are willing to rent us the house until we find a church somewhere to go.

- Knowing this, I began looking for a job. I have interviewed (and was called back for a second interview) at a company here in KC. It is an administrative type position with a teleconferencing company. A couple friends work there. It pays OK, has great benefits, and my friends say it is a great place to work.

- I have also been approached about a church. It is a small bivocational postion, but it is here in the KC area. It has moved very fast so I was not able to keep you all updated about it. I interviewed there Sunday and they want us to come back and preach on July 2. They have so much vision and passion for their town. It would be a great church to serve, but it will be a difficult transition to a bivocational pastorate. Please pray for us. I am really excited about this church. I can't really explain why, I just think it is one of those God things.

- The above stuff is way to much stress for a short two-week period. So I decided to do what I love: find a small river and fish it. I have taken some friends and taught them how to set limb lines and trot lines. We had the lines out saturday evening through Monday morning. We caught 7 fish. 3 were keepers between four and 8 pounds. They are not huge, but the fun of wading and swimming, finding the right spots, exploring the river is just as much fun as fishing. It has been a welcomed break...not to mention it felt great on 90+ degree days.

I think that about covers the noteworthy stuff. Thanks for your prayers.

SDG,

eric

THE PULPIT: ablaze!

I got home from work the other day and sat down. I had a cold glass of water in one hand, and the remote control in the other. I turned the TV on and began flipping channels with no particular goal in mind. I just wanted to find something mindless and entertaining to relax me. 19: nothing … 29: nothing …38, 41, 48, 50, 62, 4, 5…4! 4! There was a fire…a big fire! It was at an apartment complex…not just any apartment complex, the one I lived in just over a year ago. In fact, it was the very unit I lived in!

Not long ago I went over to Don and Martha’s house. One little spark nestled into a pile of saw dust. It smoldered, unknown to them, until the middle of the night. Then it ignited and their garage burned to the ground. Rubber was melted, wood charred, saws, records, books, games, everything was reduced to a pile of soot!

Last summer I worked on a friend’s racecar. I spent every Saturday night out at the track. I love the smell of rubber burning on the track…the rumble of open headers roaring down the front stretch…the screeching of tires squealing through the turns…and then it all stopped when a car exploded in a big ball of fire. The car coasted to a stop between turns three and four. Out of the giant blaze came a smaller flame…it was the driver, he was on fire…he collapsed on the track…the whole place froze as if time stood still!

Fire has many negative associations, but we often forget about the positive uses of fire. We use fire to heat our houses. We use fire to cook our foods. The media portrays forest fires as bad, but they are perfectly healthy and necessary for nature to replenish itself. To a metal worker, fire makes things bendable and shapeable, but a potter would say fire makes things solid and breakable. Fire made Don and Martha’s place dirty and grimy, but in medicine fire cleans! My mother is a nurse. She talked about cleaning the instruments they used. She said they put them in a very hot oven and the heat sterilizes them.

This idea is captured in the song, “Refiner’s Fire.”
"Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver. Purify my heart let me be as gold, pure gold. Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart for you Lord. I choose to be holy, set apart for you my master, ready to do your will. Purify my heart, cleanse me from within and make me holy. Purify my heart, cleanse me from my sin, deep within. Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart for you Lord. I choose to be holy, set apart for you my master, ready to do your will."

What is this song talking about? Gold? Purity? If you heat most metals to a molten state (like lava) the impurities will come to the top. You can skim them off and be left with pure gold!

So why all this fire talk? Well, because I am a pyro…OK, not really…but because Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Listen to the story: Acts 2.

" 1On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection,[a] the believers were meeting together in one place. 2Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

5Godly Jews from many nations were living in Jerusalem at that time. 6When they heard this sound, they came running to see what it was all about, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

7They were beside themselves with wonder. "How can this be?" they exclaimed. "These people are all from Galilee, 8and yet we hear them speaking the languages of the lands where we were born! 9Here we are--Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya toward Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" 12They stood there amazed and perplexed. "What can this mean?" they asked each other. 13But others in the crowd were mocking. "They're drunk, that's all!" they said.

14Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15Some of you are saying these people are drunk. It isn't true! It's much too early for that. People don't get drunk by nine o'clock in the morning. 16No, what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel: …

37Peter's words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles[g]--all who have been called by the Lord our God." 40Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this generation that has gone astray!"

41Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church--about three thousand in all. 42They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer."

We still talk of the purity (fire) brought into the heart of the believer by the power of the Holy Spirit! Have you heard of “Pentecostal?” We usually associate it today with the churches who speak in tongues. But in the past it meant those churches who believe that the Holy Spirit is still in the business of purifying (or sanctifying) the hearts of believers. The Church of the Nazarene used to be called the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. Our name has changed but we are still committed to the belief that God’s perfect plan is for His Holy Spirit to purify each of our hearts!

Purity is a tough thing to understand. Consider gold. If gold is pure: what else is in it? Nothing. It is solid…nothing but gold…only gold…pure gold. In being sanctified, our hearts are transformed from being torn between our selfish desires and our desire to love others, to being pure love. A pure heart has nothing but love. Another brief explanation is: “love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” A pure heart is one devoted to one thing, and one thing only…no impurities, no selfishness, nothing but love.

God desires each of His children to be entirely sanctified. God desires every one of us to be purified by His Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, but you are tired of battling the back and forth between “I want this, but I know God wants that”; if you are done being a Christian at church but a person of the world elsewhere, God desires to unify and purify your heart. I can’t promise you that I know exactly how this happens, or when it happens, but I can promise you that if you seek Christ alone it will happen.