hope

“Value-Added” Faith…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

It is always good to be with friends! I met a friend for coffee this week and the course of the conversation soon turned to our common journey of vocational ministry.

My friend mentioned a sermon he recently heard that challenged him. After our conversation, I was challenged, too.

A Moment of Conviction

Well, challenged is not really the correct word. Conviction is more appropriate in this case. The message of the sermon my friend heard, and the subsequent course of our conversation, centered around the nature of the gospel we have preached in our years of ministry.

It basically comes down to asking, “Have we preached a ‘value-added’ faith?” What do I mean?

“Value-added” faith is, in essence, coming to Jesus for what we can get out of it. Need a better marriage? Come to Jesus. He’ll fix your marriage. Want to be a better parent? Come to Jesus. He’ll make you a better parent. Financial problems? No worries! Follow these six biblical principles and soon your financial problems will straighten out. You get the picture.

Get Jesus…and this is the value He will add to your life!

And there was where the conviction came in! I am guilty of preaching a “value-added” faith. I also must confess that I didn’t do it occasionally, I did it often.

Enough with the Excuses

Don’t get me wrong, I have several excellent excuses. First, of course, is my desire to be relevant because if the preacher isn’t relevant, what good is he? How many sermons and sermon series have I designed based on topics rather than scripture? Too many, I’m afraid.

I looked back through my preaching calendars over the years. Here are the titles to a few sermon series I preached:

  • Breaking Bad (Circumstances, Decisions, Attitudes, Relationships)
  • Connected (Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, Twitter [X], Texting)
  • Faith and Politics (Culture, Leadership, Role of Government)
  • Inside Out (Series on mental health)

I also looked back through the files for sermon titles. Again, here is what I found:

  • Learning How to Love
  • Living in Shades of Gray
  • Practical Advice for Surviving the Season
  • Priorities of Life
  • Racing is Life

There are too many others to list here, but you get the gist. They are all designed to speak to the value of having Jesus in one’s life. The routine was choose the topic, find a passage or two of scripture and craft a sermon that would be “relevant” to the congregation.

Another excuse is that I thought (or was taught) that in order to reach people with the gospel, sermons had to address a “felt need” in the listener (congregation). Actually, “felt need” and relevance are close cousins as you can see from the sermon and series titles above.

A “felt need” can be:

  • Financial security
  • Stability
  • Love
  • Peace
  • Stress (worry)
  • Loneliness

Again, the routine was to discover a “felt need”, find a passage or two from scripture and craft a message that would address that “felt need.” Sometimes it worked. Often times, it didn’t.

No matter how many times I sought relevance or addressed a felt need, the congregation always left pretty much like they came–at least time and reflection has proven it to be so. The Church in culture has been on the decline for generations. I’m not so sure that it isn’t because we preachers of the gospel have too often chosen relevance over honesty, felt needs over accountability. Perhaps it is only part of the reason.

I don’t mean to insinuate that my friend does that, or indict any other pastors. I speak purely from my own experience, and the conviction is mine and mine alone. Although, as I’ve conducted a few Google searches I can say there are a lot of sermons on the internet that, based on the title, are seeking the same end.

Having acknowledged my fault and repented of my failures, may I share a commitment for the future?

A Call to Surrender & Sacrifice

I believe what the Church (and the world) needs now more than ever is an honest, simple presentation of the Gospel. The world and the Church need to hear the Truth in a simple, straightforward way. I am reminded of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our  lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.” (The Cost of Discipleship, 99)

Bonhoeffer only echoes the words of Jesus to the ruler in Luke’s Gospel:

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22).

Or, of what Jesus told His disciples (also in Luke’s Gospel):

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:23-25).

The call of the Gospel, the call of Jesus Christ, the call to discipleship is a call to die to self, a call to surrender, a call to sacrifice. I fear I have not preached that enough. I fear that I have not lived that enough. I fear that is part of the reason the Church is where it is in culture today. I am heartily sorry for my part in bringing the Church to that place.

The message of the Gospel is self-surrender, not self-help. I’ve yet to see a “self-surrender” section in any local bookstore. Surrender and sacrifice are not popular topics in today’s culture. Perhaps those topics will be a little more relatable if I untuck my shirt and wear skinny jeans while preaching them. Yeah…perhaps not (this body wasn’t made for skinny jeans!).

This blog has gotten way too long, so let me close with my commitment to do better in my preaching. I’ll do my best to “give ’em Jesus.” He’s relevant enough. I’ll trust the Holy Spirit to do His work if I do mine.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Them’s the Breaks…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Well, when you plan to go see your daughter out of town and you leave work and forget your computer, you take it as a sign the Lord doesn’t want you to write what you were planning on writing. Or, you take it as a sign that you needed the weekend to focus on other things. Either way, there is no meaningful blog this week. Just me rambling about nothing.

So, y’all have a great weekend, and remember what this weekend is all about. A great shout of appreciation to those who gave all for our nation and freedom.

Maybe I’ll write that blog I was planning today next week.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Honoring Mothers: Faithful Women Who Shape Our Lives

/ pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

Happy Mother’s Day! Let me take a few lines on this special day to say “Thank you!” to the mothers in my life, and to all mothers everywhere. None of us (and I mean literally none of us) would be who we are without our mothers (for better or worse).

I say “for better or worse,” because I know not everyone has been blessed with incredible examples of motherhood in their lives, and that is truly unfortunate. I, on the other hand, have been blessed beyond measure with those mothers who are shining examples of what it means to be a mother.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

I tell folks that I was raised at the foot of a Methodist piano. My mother, Sonda Womack, played piano for three Methodist churches in our home area. She rode the circuit just like the circuit rider preacher every Sunday so that those congregations had the benefit of music in worship. Most Sundays, my brothers and I had to make that circuit with her, and there we would sit, often listening to the same sermon three times (talk about insufferable!) just for the opportunity to make it to the “big” church so we could be with all our friends.

I didn’t necessarily enjoy all that time at the foot of a Methodist piano, but her faithfulness in serving the Lord by serving those congregations gave me an early example of what discipleship and servanthood looks like. Being an accompanist for all those years was ministry for her. I know that because she was never paid a salary by any of those churches. Yes, there were frequent love offerings the congregations shared, but she never “charged” for her services. It was a gift of love to the Lord.

Her faithfulness shaped me and my brothers. Of that, I have no doubt. She was, for much of our early years, a single mom. She worked long, hard hours to insure that we had what we needed…not always what we wanted…but always what we needed. I can remember her working three jobs when we were little. She worked at the local bank. She would leave that job and head to the local post office where she was a part-time flexible worker. And, if you think playing piano at three churches on Sunday morning isn’t work (whether you’re paid or not), well you’ve got another think coming.

Even now, into her 80’s, she continues to serve two congregations through her gift of music. Still riding the circuit after all these years!

She was, and is, an example of faith and faithfulness and love for which I am forever grateful. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

The Heart of Our Family

Let me tell you something else. When I married, I married up. I mean I married way up! My wife, Vanessa, is the most amazing mother I know (my own mother notwithstanding). Vanessa has throughout our lives together demonstrated the sacrificial love of Jesus in the most profound of ways. I honestly believe that she was born to be a mother…and grandmother.

I have spent the last forty years watching her nurture our children and grandchildren. I can tell you that she raised our children while I was off going to school and pastoring churches and chasing dreams. Anything good our children have attained or become can be credited to her love and diligence in caring for them.

Raising our children was never a sacrifice for her. It was her gift. She was, for many years, the nurturer, the care-giver, the chauffeur, the cook, the cleaner, the confidant, the disciplinarian, the encourager, the helper and the friend to all four of our children, and she has quickly become that to our grandchildren, too. I might also add, she is all those things to me as a spouse. She is my best friend, and I’m not so sure our children wouldn’t also call her their best friend, either.

She is amazing and beautiful and funny and sacrificial and loving. Try as I might, there really aren’t words to describe what she is to me and to our family. She is the heart and soul of who we are as a family. Happy Mother’s Day, Vanessa!

An Enduring Legacy of Love

The examples of love and sacrifice goes back beyond our present generation. My grandmothers…well…what can I say about them?

My maternal grandmother, Aline Johnson Roberts, demonstrated for me how to serve your spouse. My Papaw lived with rheumatoid arthritis for as long as I have any memory of him. He was bedridden for most of later years of life. Mamaw never left his side.

Everyday, she busied herself waiting on him hand and foot. I never once heard her complain (and mind you, my brothers and I lived with them for several years) about his illness, or the necessity of her caring for him. She did it out of love. She did it out of compassion. And, that was after raising ten children and dealing with 18 (I think) grandchildren (nine of which either lived with them or next door to them).

She remains an example of self-giving love that demonstrates the heart of motherhood. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day, Mamaw!

My paternal grandmother, Kittie Oxford Malone, is a saint if there ever was one. We called her “Mama Kit.” Mama Kit earned her sainthood by putting up with my grandfather, my dad and my uncle. Don’t misunderstand me. I love all three of those men dearly, but they could be…oh, let’s just say…challenging to live with (that’s all I’ll say about that!).

When Vanessa and I married, we moved into her backyard. There we started raising our family. She was there when all our children were born. She was the go-to babysitter for our children. Every afternoon when the kids would arrive home from school, their first stop was usually her house. She generally had cheese toast or cinnamon toast prepared for them when they arrived.

She would spend countless hours reading to our oldest daughter and as she would read she would gently rub our daughter’s back. Our oldest daughter is her namesake, and I honestly think she still misses those back rubs today.

We discovered when ministry called us to Kentucky for seminary, that the worst part was not having Mama Kit to care for us from our backyard. Yes, we missed all our family, but not in the same way we missed Mama Kit. I only wish my grandchildren would have had the opportunity to know Mama Kit.

Mama Kit gave me an example of perseverance in the face of adversity, of commitment to life-long marriage and of selfless love. I am blessed to have her as part of the legacy of faithful motherhood in my live. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day, Mama Kit.

Thank You Mothers!

There are so many more memories and reflections I could share, but this is a long post already. Thank you for indulging me in this overly personal blog. And, thank you to all the mothers that we celebrate on this Mother’s Day.

If your mother is still with you, give thanks to God for her and make sure she knows how much you appreciate her. If your mother is no longer alive, then simply give thanks to God for the memories of love and faithfulness you have.

If you have no good memories of your own mother, can you at least be grateful to God that she gave you life? That is a gift unto itself and you should be grateful.

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and grandmothers. May God bless you all on this special day.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Meanderings from a Muddled Mind…

/ pastorlynnmalone / 2 Comments

So, motivation is key, right? Well, I’m not motivated to write this morning, but write I do because writing is a discipline and I NEED to be disciplined. That, and I might disappoint the 12 of you who read my writing regularly, and anyone who knows me knows I hate to disappoint anyone (though I so often do).

Writing helps me process things I’ve been thinking about. It helps to bring clarity to certain issues and it keeps me in practice for writing sermons on the (ever more) rare occasions that I’m invited to preach somewhere.

It becomes too easy to pull out an old sermon, dust it off and freshen it up, and preach it again. I don’t like doing that (though I have) because it seems to me that the Lord has something fresh to say, and I would hope (and pray) that He might actually want to say it through me.

Things that Muddle

There are a few things that I need to process, but I won’t process them via this venue. Too many of them are political in nature and doing so would probably alienate half (of the 12) the people who read. Processing them via this venue also might bring no clarity because this election cycle may be hopeless in trying to make sense out of anything that happens.

I really am befuddled that in a nation of over 350 million people that we are stuck with the two choices before us, and that we still have nearly seven months to hear all the foolishness that’s coming our way.

Another issue I’m processing is my increasing impatience with the way people drive. One thing I’ve learned over the past two and half years in the oil business is that people can’t drive. Seriously, people can’t drive! That’s probably one of the reasons insurance rates are so high in Louisiana.

And, drivers are so inconsiderate when they’re driving…but, I’m starting to process, so I’ll move on. I don’t want to come across as an angry curmudgeon, and if I continue that’s exactly what I’ll do. Let me simply say, “Please, drivers, put your phones down and pay attention. Someone’s going to get killed.”

So, moving on…

Heros

I’ve been thinking about biblical heroes and trying to process an understanding of what actually constitutes a hero. When I think about biblical heroes I think about the likes of Moses, David, Paul and (of course) Jesus. Others that come to mind are Joseph, Joshua and Esther. Every one of us could make a list and each list would be different, but surely those names would appear on everyone’s list.

As I’ve pondered the subject, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s only one hero in the Bible, and that would be Jesus. Yes, there are many people in the Bible who did heroic things, but all of them (save Jesus) were broken, fallen people. I mean, really, Moses was a murderer. David was a murderer AND an adulterer. Abraham was a liar who was more than ready to put his wife out in front of an on-coming caravan to save his own skin.

I think about the Apostle Paul, without whom we wouldn’t have the New Testament and who is singularly responsible for the growth of the early church, but who was also responsible for jailing (and even killing?) the early followers of Jesus.

It was Paul who wrote “love is not boastful” (1 Corinthians 13: 4), but who also wrote, “I will boast, too…” (2 Corinthians 11: 19ff). The apostle who wrote “love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13: 5) was the same apostle who recited a laundry list of wrongs that had been done to him (2 Corinthians 11: 23ff).

Paul came across as arrogant to some. Well, if he came across that way, he probably was that way. Arrogance is so off-putting and would not be at the top of the list of quality characteristics of a follower of Jesus.

I don’t mean to make “anti-heroes” of the biblical characters. I rather think that it means the Lord can make heroes out of us…that He actually wants to make heroes out of us. Our stores are no different than their stories (well, maybe we’re not all murderers?), and just as the Lord used them in His story, so He wants to use us in His story. As I’ve written in other places: It’s not about discovering where Jesus fits into our story, but about discovering where we fit into His story.

It’s His Story

Honestly, I’m still trying to discover where I fit into His story. I once thought I knew, but circumstances beyond my control (and a few within my control) only served to confuse me. But, I’m still searching because I believe He still wants to use me, even as broken, bruised and battered as I am. I might add old to that list, too. That’s okay, though. Moses was old when God used him. Abraham and Sarah were old when God used them. There’s hope for us all–even us old angry curmudgeons.

Sorry if I’ve given you a glimpse into my muddled mind. It only comes as a result of me having nothing to write about, but wanting desperately to keep the discipline of writing. Please don’t hold it against me, and might I ask you to pray that the Lord would give me something to write about next week.

So, what are you processing? Where do you find yourself fitting into His story? Why not share them in the comments with the other eleven people who read my blog?

Until next time, keep looking up…

God Does His Greatest Work in the Dark…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Let’s see…

The Israel/Hamas War, the Russia/Ukraine War, the Taiwan threat from China, North Korean nuclear proliferation, Houthis attacking Red Sea shipping channels, inflation, racial tensions, a border crisis, a fentanyl crisis, drug cartels, human trafficking, increasing crime rates, gender confusion, a very divisive Presidential campaign, declining church attendance, decaying cultural values.

Have I forgotten anything? Probably so, but you get my point. Read the headlines (or more appropriately, listen to the news) and we get the sense that we are living in dark times.

There are plenty of reasons for concern about the world in general, and western culture in particular, but I’m want to remind us that our’s is not the first generation to face dark times, and if the Lord tarries, it likely won’t be the last.

What I do want to remind us is that though we live in dark times, God does His greatest work in the dark! Easter reminds us of that fact.

Stumbling in the Dark

So many of us stumble around in the dark, and we’re often afraid because we can’t see. When we’re in the dark, we grasp for something, anything to hold on to that will give us some stability, some comfort, some assurance that we can make it until we can turn on a light.

We’re unsteady, unsure, and we lack a certain amount of confidence, and all that makes us just a little leery. Not necessarily because we’re afraid of the dark, but because we’re afraid of what we can’t see in the dark. Sometimes, though, we have to move forward. We have to get to the place that we can turn the light on. We have to get up. We have to keep moving. In those times, we have to see with the eyes of faith. Easter is that which gives us our eyes of faith. 

For the disciple of Jesus Christ, the resurrection is THE central event of history. We may say that time is measured from the birth of Jesus Christ, but hope is measured from the resurrection. We come this morning to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and with it the victory of life over death, of good over evil, of grace over the grave.

This is our holiest of holy days, and it still reminds us that there is light even in the darkest of worlds, and that no matter what else may be happening in our lives, there is always hope. That is the power of the resurrection.

20 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

John 20: 1 (NLT)

John’s Resurrection Account

The resurrection account is recorded in all four of Gospels, but not all four report it the same way. The Gospel of John shares it differently. John alone tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, “while it was still dark.” Just because John has Mary Magdalene going alone does not necessarily contradict the other three Gospels. Maybe John’s just telling that Mary went down before all the others got there.

John has been called a philosopher of sorts. John’s Gospel is full of symbolic language, and the words on the page don’t always mean what they say. With the phrase “while it was still dark,” we note that John is carrying on a theme that he started very early in his gospel—the contrast of light and darkness.

John introduces the theme in the opening paragraph of the gospel: 

“Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it”

John 1: 4-5 (NLT

In John 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to see Jesus “after dark one evening,” and in John 6, he tells us of the time after “darkness fell,” that Jesus came walking on the water to his disciples.

Then, in John 8, the Pharisees bring a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus in an attempt to trap him. He refuses to condemn the woman (some have even indicated that the woman was Mary Magdalene), and then he says to the people:

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8: 12 (NLT)

It is little wonder that John would return to that theme and tell us Mary came “while it was still dark.” Whether he meant it literally or figuratively, we’ll never know for sure, and for his purpose (and for ours), I’m not sure it matters.

For Mary, it was dark, both literally and figuratively. Mary Magdalene was standing at the foot of the cross as Jesus died. She was there at the cross with Jesus’ mother, Jesus’ aunt, and John. When the rest of the disciples had abandoned Jesus, she was there, and she was there when they took his body down from the cross. It was a dark day. The sun may have been shining, but to Mary it was a dark day.

Mary loved Jesus. Luke 8 tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her, and since that time she had been his follower. There is even some evidence that Mary Magdalene was the prostitute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and anointed them with perfume. Is it any wonder Jesus would say, “The one forgiven little loves little, but the one who has been forgiven greatly loves greatly.” Mary is not on the fringe of Jesus’ followers, which means that for Mary, as much as for any of Jesus’ other disciples, she was living in the dark days of grief.

Mary is probably wondering how things can get worse, and just about the time she does, guess what? Things get worse. Isn’t that the way life always is? Just about the time we think things can’t get any darker, they do! Mary gets to the tomb and she finds the body of Jesus gone. John has painted us a picture of the dark getting darker, but he also paints a picture of one who lives out faithfulness and hope, even in the midst of the darkness, and we discover what happens as a result.

Catch this! Mary went to the tomb. Despite her fear and despite her grief, Mary did something. She went to the last place she knew Jesus was. Even though she thought Jesus was dead, she went. She went because in the darkness she longed for light…some light…any light. She went looking for light. She had hope, even in the darkness.

You know what’s interesting? Think about when the actual resurrection took place. It took place in the dark! There was no one there to see it. There were no earthquakes or flashing lights. Someone shows up early in the morning and there’s just an empty tomb. The central event of human history, and nobody sees it.

Joseph and Mary were firsthand witnesses to Jesus’ birth, and even angels announced his arrival to shepherds. There were stars in the night sky that foreign astrologers could read, and an earthly king was mad enough to order a massacre of children, but with the resurrection, all we get is second-hand witnesses. It happened “while it was still dark,” but it happened.

Finding Light in the Darkness

Spiritually, the resurrection is our hope. We’ve all had dark times in our lives. When it’s dark and we can’t see what’s going on around us because of the grief and pain and doubt, it’s then we’re tempted to turn our backs on God, believing that God doesn’t care, or worse, believing it’s all God’s fault. We’re tempted to pull the covers over our heads and give up.

I remind you—Mary went to the tomb “while it was still dark.” In the midst of the darkness, she went to the tomb because she loved Jesus, and in the darkness he spoke her name, “Mary.”

So, he does with all of us. When in the darkness of sin, of addiction, of pain and loss, of grief, if we come to Jesus, he’ll speak our name—John, Sally, George, Margaret, Lynn. Mary shows us what faithfulness in the dark looks like. We find Jesus, or rather, we’re found by him, in the dark because we’re looking for him there. The tears vanish when we realize God did His greatest work in the dark. It wasn’t in the papers (I’m really dating myself with that reference), nor did it make CNN or Fox News. We can’t tell when it happened, we just know it happened. 

Life is funny. One day, we’re on a mountain and we can look and see for a million miles. But, as quickly as the sun comes, the darkness settles in, and we go from saying how blessed we are to “I can’t take this anymore!” Darkness comes. Mary was not afraid of the dark. Mary was unwilling to take Jesus’ absence as an answer to anything, and by staying in the dark, Easter dawned!  

I wonder who today is searching in the dark? Some of us remember a time when Jesus was alive. We felt his presence and knew his love. We ate with him and drank with him, and we shared life with him. But, something has happened. We lost a spouse or a child to death. Our marriage went south, or we lost our job. Perhaps we just fell out of love with Jesus.

For those of us in any of those situations we need to do what Mary did—go to the last place we saw Jesus. Was it in the Bible? Then read the Bible, even when the words make no sense.

Was it in prayer? Then keep praying even when it feels like our words are hitting the ceiling and falling back down on us.

Was it in church? Then keep going, even when we feel like we’re surrounded by hypocrites, and we’re just going through the motions.

Some today are in the darkness of broken relationships. Others are in the darkness of addictive behavior. Still others are in the darkness of grief and pain. So many of us are looking for a little light, any light in these dark, dark times. We’re here because we believe that there is still light.

Listen. Listen for the voice of Jesus calling our names. His light is shining because Easter has dawned.    When Easter dawns the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. It cannot overcome it. It never has and never will. Life and light makes our world new.

Easter comes out of the darkness.

Dark times come to everyone, even to Jesus. Darkness is not a sign that we have no faith. Darkness is the opportunity to show our faith. Darkness is the time to get up and face the fears of life head on. Darkness is the time for us to get up and go to the tomb. It is the time to recognize that Easter happened in the dark. When everybody was depressed and thought the work of God was a sham, God was doing His greatest work of all.

Easter is here, my friend. Easter is here.

Until next time, keep looking up…

The High Cost of Faith…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,

Hebrews 11: 35b – 39a (NIV)

Reading this passage in Hebrews this morning made me think, “Faith is not for sissies!” Faith is, in fact, hard work.

A quote credited to Ravi Zacharias also came to mind as I reflected on Hebrews 11:

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. –”

R. Zacharias

Then I thought, “Guess what? Faith will take you farther then you often want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay. Only it takes one in the opposite direction.”

We don’t realize where sin is taking us until we arrive and then it’s too late. Suprisingly, we enjoyed the journey, but the destination kills us.

Conversely, we know where faith is leading us and we anticipate our arrival. Often times, the journey is difficult and challenging, and we are often tempted to turn back…to take the easy road of sin…but, the hope of the future keeps us moving, and one day…one day…all the struggle, all the challenge becomes worth it.

Faith is hard work, but most things worth having require hard work. No, we’re not saved by our work. We are saved by grace through FAITH, for good works.

Keep working my friends. Keep struggling. Keep moving. Faith in Jesus will get us there.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Learning to Walk Again…

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Well, the challenging Lenten season continues. It’s strange really because I didn’t enter the Lenten season very seriously. For the first time in over 20 years I didn’t attend an Ash Wednesday service. If I’m totally honest I’d tell you that if it weren’t for Facebook I might have forgotten it was Ash Wednesday.

Logging on to Facebook I couldn’t help but know it was Ash Wednesday. I saw so many people posting pictures of themselves with ashes on their foreheads. Nothing like social media to feed our narcissistic tendencies…even when it comes to our sin, right? No indictment intended, but I just find it ironic that we feel compelled to show the world our piety by posting selfies of ourselves being pious. But, I digress…

Anyway, I didn’t take Lent seriously, but the Holy Spirit has challenged me all season long. He has challenged me concerning my love for Jesus (click here), and thereby, my love for others. I’ll confess that I can’t grasp the love of God that loves a Venezuelan migrant murderer as much as a Georgia nursing student (see here). I’ll confess that I don’t know that I want to grasp it, and that scares the hell out of me!

What I do know is that I would fight tooth and nail if someone (anyone) hurt one of my daughters. One of us would die. I don’t know that I could forgive that. With time and the grace of God, maybe. Yet, forgiveness is what the Lord asks of us, and that’s an awfully big ask. The Holy Spirit and I have been talking about it. We’ve not settled the issue yet, but this is still Lent. Easter is coming…it can’t come soon enough.

Not only has He challenged me on my love for Him, but He’s also challenged the nature of my surrender. I know that I have, too often, chosen my own way in service to Him rather than being attentive to where He was actually calling me. I may even be living that circumstance today. Part of my prayer each day is “show me Your will so that I might walk in Your way.” I think what I really mean is “show me Your will and I’ll choose whether to walk in Your way.”

The question He challenges me with is, “Are you surrendered?” I like to believe I am, but Him even asking the question causes me to wonder. True enough, He has been oh, so very gracious to me regardless. I can’t even imagine why I’ve been so blessed. How or why does He bless when I can’t answer a simple question, or know that I am surrendered to His will? ‘Tis mystery, indeed!

The Holy Spirit has also challenged me concerning the nature of joy. That’s right…joy. How so? Well, the Apostle Paul tells the Roman church, in essence, that joy comes through tribulation (see Romans 8: 31-39). I like to think I’m joyful, but the Holy Spirit has me wondering. I know that I “enjoy” life, but enjoying something doesn’t necessarily mean I am living joyfully. I know I’m grateful…grateful for all His blessings. I know I’m humbled…humbled by His grace.

Do I not know the depths of true joy because I’ve not endured the hardships of tribulation? Dare I pray for tribulation so that I might find out? Yeah, I’m probably not going to do that, and the fact that I’m unwilling to pray such a prayer causes me no little amount of heartburn. Darn this Lenten season!

I suppose the challenge of this Lent has me questioning my commitment to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. It comes down to a question Jesus asked his disciples in John 6:

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

John 6:66-67 (NIV)

“You do not want to leave, too, do you?” I feel like in one sense that I have, in fact, gone away…I’ve turned back…I’ve fallen down. Abandoning full-time ministry feels almost like an abandonment of Jesus. It feels like I “turned back.” For me, I think it was a matter of ministry was “working for Jesus,” without “walking with Jesus.” There is a difference, you know?

I spent so many years working for Jesus that I quit walking with Him. Perhaps that is the thing that burned me out. I guess He’s just using this Lenten season to teach me to walk with Him again, since I’m not “working” for Him during this time. I am learning to walk again.

Let me say that if a person has a choice of working for Jesus or walking with Jesus, chose walking with Jesus every time. Intimacy with Jesus can easily get lost when we are working for Him. Walking with Him promotes the intimacy we need to actually do the work for Him…and I mean the work that He wants and needs us to do, not the work we want and think He wants us to do. The differences are oh, so subtle, but they are oh, so real.

And to think, I was going to let this Lenten season pass unnoticed. Perhaps all these challenges are my punishment for not giving something up for Lent.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Suffering for Lent…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

I received a question last week that I didn’t answer immediately. I had to ponder it a while. I had to ponder it because it actually was a great question, especially for the season of Lent which began this past Wednesday.

The question was, “When He says pick up your cross and follow me, is that referring to laying down things of this world and utilizing our gifts to serve Him?”

I initially assumed that the asker was referring to the time Jesus encountered the “rich young ruler” in Mark 10:

20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

Mark 10: 20 – 21

but, I remembered that Luke’s Gospel was an encounter with all the disciples, and that it carried a broader idea than Mark’s encounter:

22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9: 22 – 23

I initially wanted to answer, “Yes,” to the question, but that would have been the easy answer, but I’m not so sure it is the correct answer. As I’ve pondered the question over the past week, I think the correct answer lies in grasping the concept of suffering…a concept not too many of us want to think much about. We like our easy life (and let’s confess, most of us have it pretty easy in these United States of America), and we want to keep it that way.

Actually, there are a lot of preachers of the prosperity gospel who tell us if we’re not having a great easy life, it’s because we don’t have enough faith. But, that subject is for another blog post. I’m rather certain that if any believers in or purveyors of the prosperity gospel read this that they will vehemently disagree with me. Oh, well!

For Jesus, the call to his disciples to “take up the cross” was a call to enter with Him into His suffering. He’s fairly clear on that matter. He says that, “The Son of Man must suffer many things…”

So? Let’s talk about suffering! Such a fun topic, right? Who wants to suffer? Suffering is so un-American, right? This is the land of opportunity and so many of us have done so well “suffering for Jesus.”

I mean, really, if anyone should be suffering, surely it would be those called by God to serve in ministry, right? Ha! I was 28 years in vocational ministry and I never missed a meal. All my bills were paid and I put up a nice little nest egg for retirement. Actually, I was doing pretty well at the end of my vocational ministry journey…pulling in six figures and all that. Yeah, I often wondered if I was worth what I was making (those who were paying me were probably thinking the same thing), and I often thought, “I can’t believe they pay me this much to do what I do.” Yup! I’d call that suffering for Jesus!

Please don’t take this as a knock on those who are serving in vocational ministry (and doing well doing so). It is not intended to be that. I know very well what Paul told Timothy:

17 The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

1 Timothy 5: 17 – 18 (NASB)

But, I also know what Paul told the church at Corinth:

15 I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.

2 Cor. 12: 15 (NLT)

Taking both of those passages in their context, one would have to say John Wesley had it right: “Gain all you can…save all you can…give all you can.” (For the full context of Wesley, click here).

I don’t mean to make this blog about money, either earning or giving. I’m just tying to answer a question that is not an easy question to answer. So, let me try to answer the question: I believe that the idea of “taking up our cross daily” is about entering the suffering of Jesus. It is about joining Jesus in His death so that we might also join Him in His life…eternal life.

Three things I would note about suffering:

First, suffering is to be expected. Jesus was pretty clear on that matter. Remember what He told His disciples in John’s gospel?

33 These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 16: 33 (NASB)

Second, suffering builds character. In this, Paul (Romans 5: 3-5), James (James 1: 2-4) and Peter (1 Peter 1: 6-7) are all in agreement. Our suffering is not in vain! Just as there was a purpose behind the suffering of Jesus, there is purpose behind our suffering.

Third, suffering is only temporary. One of the best quotes I ever heard was “Jesus could face the cross because He saw beyond it.” Jesus looked at the cross with the resurrection is sight. The Apostle Paul was able to see the resurrection as well. I love his counsel to the Corinthian church:

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4: 16 – 18 (NIV)

It is hard for us to see past the cross, especially during the season of Lent. Remember, though, we can’t get to Easter without going through the cross.

No, we in western culture have had the benefit of a couple of centuries of Christian influence that has prevented us from enduring too much suffering on Jesus’ behalf. Perhaps that time is coming to an end and the suffering Jesus warned His first century disciples about may soon be upon us. Who knows?

I know that if it is, we should embrace it, learn what it is that Jesus wants us to learn, serve Him faithfully through it and come out the other side of it spiritually renewed bringing glory and honor to Him and building the Kingdom through it all. We should “take up the cross” and follow Him.

I’m not sure that answered the guy’s question, but at least the question prompted me to think. Maybe I have a little more thinking to do.

Until next time, keep looking up…

More Random Thoughts…

/ pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

Whether it is a lack of time or a lack of inspiration to write anything serious, I share today a few of the devotional thoughts I’ve pondered throughout the week:

The Majesty of the Mundane

Reflecting on Luke 24: 13 – 35 this week and one particular phrase “We were hoping…”

In this “Road to Emmaus” encounter with Jesus, the two disciples, in trying to explain to Jesus all that has happened in the preceding days (a rather hilarious image, by the way), make the statement in verse 21: “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”

These disciples were dejected because circumstances didn’t turn out as they had hoped. Imagine that! I think that’s called life. It was in their dejection that they missed the fact that Jesus was right there with them. Jesus was walking with them in their hopelessness. They had been looking for earth-shattering changes in their lives due to Jesus Christ. What they got was Jesus in the midst of their brokenness, and they missed it.

We spend much of our lives looking for earth-shattering, life-changing events and episodes and we end up missing Him walking to Emmaus with us. There is much majesty in the mundane circumstances of our every day lives, but if we spend our time looking for the earth-shattering we will miss His majesty that is with us moment-by-moment, day-by-day. While I was hoping for something grand, I missed him in the moment of the ordinary. Silly me!

The Cost of Sanctification

I’ve been thinking a lot about sanctification (holiness) these days. That’s probably because it escapes me, but that’s for another blog. I was prompted by Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians:

“May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I’ve asked myself the question, “Am I ready to be sanctified?” Undoubtedly, I’m not, or else I would make Jesus the center of everything. Holiness, I’ve discovered, is not within me. Holiness can only come from outside me and can only come as I surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps I should say it this way: I need to stop pursuing holiness and allow myself to be captured by the holiness that is pursuing me. I have to be totally given over to the Holy Spirit’s power in order for Him to do His work in me. As I’ve said before, surrender is hard work. I love the benefits of salvation. I deplore the costs of sanctification. What a shame. I’m missing the best God has to give me.

Saved and Sanctified

We are saved and sanctified to become spiritually exhausted. Oswald Chambers intimates that we are not spiritually exhausted by sin, but rather by service. We are to be “broken bread and poured-out wine” for other people’s nourishment until they learn to feed on God. That, my friends, can be exhausting! That only means I must find my own supply by feeding on the Lord.

Finding my supply in the Lord means that I must first be “broken bread and poured-out wine” in prayer. To be poured out in service before I am poured out in prayer will lead to burnout and disdain for those whom I serve. Everything in the spiritual life begins with prayer. Prayer is the beginning, the middle and the end of the spiritual life. Until we are prayed up we can’t be caught up to the heights of glory God has planned for us.

Concluding Thoughts

You’ve gotten a glimpse this week into some of my devotional thoughts. I’d love to get a glimpse into yours. I invite you to leave a comment below about what the Lord has been saying to you this week.

Until next time, keep looking up…

Devotional Musings…

/ pastorlynnmalone / 1 Comment

For some reason, every time I sit down to write I think I need to write something profound and earth-shattering, but the reality is I rarely have anything profound and earth-shattering to say. Today is no different. So, I’m just jotting down a few of the collected devotional thoughts I’ve pondered throughout the past week. It is my feeble attempt to maintain the discipline of writing. Perhaps someone, somewhere will find these random thoughts helpful.

Reflecting on the call of Isaiah in Isaiah 6, I am struck by the fact that God never called Isaiah by name. God’s call was very generic in nature:

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

I wondered if God calls any one of us specifically, or if God calls us all generally. I wondered if what makes the difference is in who is listening. Only those who are listening for God’s call will ever answer it. Isaiah had to hear the call, but it wasn’t enough only to hear it. Isaiah had to answer God’s call. Isaiah was attentive to the Lord, so he was able to discern the Lord’s voice. Isaiah was also willing to be obedient even before he knew what the Lord was calling him to do.

Attentiveness and willingness: two prerequisites to walking in the Lord’s will. I wonder how often I’ve exhibited those characteristics. I also wonder which precedes which? Does willingness come before attentiveness, or must I first be attentive before I can be willing? Even if I am attentive, does my willingness depend on what He is calling me to do? Hmmm? I wonder?

God’s call will always be challenging. God’s call to Isaiah was not an easy one, for sure:

9 He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:9-10 (NIV)

God’s call to Isaiah? Go tell these people something they won’t understand. It’ll make them mad. Very few will listen. Very few will “get it.” But, do it anyway. How challenging is that?

I want to believe that God is calling all of us–calling us to be evangelists–to share the Good News of God in Jesus Christ. I wonder how many of us are listening and willing? We are called to be evangelists to our families, to our co-workers, in our social networks. Can I get comfortable with the reality there will likely be many more people who reject the message of hope than who hear and accept it? Then, I remember that it isn’t dependent on me. It is dependent on their own attentiveness and willingness. My task is obedience.

How do I listen? How do I cultivate attentiveness and willingness? It starts with worship. At least that is where Isaiah’s started:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah 6:1-3 (NIV)

Worship sets the stage for us to hear God’s call. Worship ushers us into God’s presence and allows us to glimpse His glory. Compelled by the sheer glory of His presence draws us to a place of repentance for our own sin…an acknowledgment of our own unworthiness. Only then can the Lord use us for His purposes.

Worship isn’t the only attitude that will prepare us to hear God’s call. If we truly want to understand what God is saying, we must open His Word–the Bible. If we can’t hear God’s voice, perhaps it is because we haven’t spent time in His Word. Consistent Bible study is imperative to hearing His voice.

Prayer, too, is key to hearing God’s voice. I need to remind myself that prayer is more listening than talking. I think that in my prayer time I must continually talk to the Lord, to tell Him all my trials and troubles, but how can I hear Him if I am the one doing all the talking. Yes, lift my burdens to the Lord, but then sit quietly to listen to what He has to say. What He has to say will not always (it will rarely) be about what I was talking to Him about. I get distracted by such trivial matters. He is concerned with the whole world. I am concerned with just such a tiny little part of it.

Being able to hear the voice of God does not necessarily make us willing to be obedient to the voice of God. I wish there was a secret formula to being willing to be obedient to God’s call. I wish I knew what that formula was. Maybe some of you know. If you do, could you please share it in the comments below? Let me learn from you, please, because it is in the area of obedience that I struggle the most.

Yes, I wake up every day committed to obedience, but then I am faced with a challenging word or task, and fear or timidity or laziness soon triumph over any initial willingness I possessed. I begin every day with the willingness of Isaiah: “Here I am! Send me!” Most days end will feelings of dejection because I give in to the fear, timidity and laziness.

Hope! Hope is what I need! I have hope in Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is my (our) only hope…in this life…and in the life to come. I need you, Jesus! I long for you, Lord! Help me to hear your voice. Guide me through worship into the place where your voice becomes clear. Fill me with power so that my willingness to be obedient shall not be overcome by either fear, timidity or laziness. Amen!

Enough randomness for now. It’s time to get ready for worship.

Until next time, keep looking up…