Flu Lessons

 

• When someone has the flu and you tell them you've never felt better and are glad you got the flu shot, that's not good.  There is an alternate universe where that information is helpful and interesting – this is not it.

 

• The human nasal cavity is capable of containing four times a person's body weight of… nasal cavity stuff. 

 

• The nose knows that the rule is to be plugged when within 3 feet of Kleenex and flow like a broken dam when Kleenex is out of reach.

 

• The body stores sneezes in the sneeze bin until there are five.  Then it releases them in as short amount of time as possible.  This, scientifically, is what causes the aches during the flu – your sneeze bin has been overloaded. 

 

• When other family members are sick I'm not, and I try to cheer them up, I'm being kind.  When I'm sick and my daughter and wife aren't and they try to cheer me up, they are being unkind.  I can't figure this one out but it seems to be universal.

 

• Reading or watching a movie is nothing but a waste of time when you are sick.  Flu turns the retention cells of the brain to morph into little slippery rocks.  The person who made up the phrase, "In one ear and out the other," had just gotten over the flu.

 

• The volume of the phone ringer is designed to increase with your level of headache.  The bigger the headache the louder the ring.

 

• Cough syrup with codeine is your friend and is best with a bright colored straw, Twinkies, raw carrots, and hot dogs.

 

God does not take a vacation when I feel yucky.  The truth of the good news through Jesus Christ doesn't become a rumor when I have a coughing fit.  The presence of the Spirit of God doesn't take my physical temperature to decide where to live( oooh there's a sermon in there about your soul's temperature!).  The Word of God isn't as weak or weaker when I am - ever.  The next life doesn't evaporate when this one seems to be less fun.

 

God is not dependant on me, I am dependant on Him.  My level of dependence shouldn't fluctuate anymore than His level of supply does. I need Him at all times, during all moods, within all activities.  I confess to you I am a weak, ill-equipped, a sheep that doesn't know enough to come in out of the rain.  He is my strength, my training, and my Shepherd that knows best. 

 

Wishing My Life Story With God Didn't Include the Flu This Week,

 

Pastor Dave

 

 

PS – happy birthday Mommy!

PSS – In case you didn't hear we are not doing trunk-r-treat this year.

PSSS – Even if it's just my wife and daughter and I we are going to worship God together on Sunday!  We're done being sick, if you are – join us!

Just one sentence

My thought this week is one sentence.  A handful of words for the church that sometimes refuses to be what God designed for them to be.  One thought for those of us who are "comfortable" in our faith and "controlled" in our worship.  I have written and deleted many paragraphs attempting to expound on and apply the sentence below.  I will let it stand alone and ask you to invite the Holy Spirit to build on it in your life.

 

"The most dangerous prison is the one I mistake for a living room."

 

Listening,

Pastor Dave

 

 

 

 

Stages

Sometimes we read parts of the Bible and think, "Why's that there?"

I looked at a verse in Numbers that may have been moved into the "?" category. Numbers 33:1 starts the chapter by saying, " Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt…." What follows is the list of their travel itinerary. They left there and camped here, they left there and camped here, they left – you get the point. The KOA's of the Israelites are not words spiritual revivals are made of.

But, this morning I'm thinking about the "stages in the journey" of my spiritual growth, the growth of others in the church, and even the growth of the Midland Free Methodist Church as a whole.

I've grown. I can reflect back and see many stages, some of which make me grin, and some of which aren't logged in my memory pages with fondness. But they have all invested in who I am on this day. I'm thinking about the "stage" I am at right now and what God is calling me to right now. I have a new burden that has grown in my spirit that has changed some life patterns for me. I'm different than I was. I went from "there" to "here."

I know some people in our church could fill a book with outlining their stages. My mind is taking turns thinking of some who have been on journey with God for a long time and some who are just starting their journey. Both groups have a loving God who has protected them and brought them to a place where God became more than a distant Being to believe in that is in the cosmos somewhere to a personal and relational Lord. Some haven't crossed a line of faith yet, but the life stages are bringing them closer. Many of you have gone from "there" to "here."

We are at a new stage as a local church. We have been camped somewhere and God is calling us to pack up and move to a new depth in our ministry. Not because where we have been is wrong, but because there is an eternal destination we are headed to that requires we stay active and obedient. It's time to move on from "there" to "here".

As I pack my things for the journey, I am aware of a few points (please don't take the analogy to literal – I'm not packing for a personal move to another place and we're not moving the church building to the Florida Keys).

1. We must be on the move for spiritual growth. With each growth step we are being transformed into what God has designed for us to be. And with each step there should be a growing sense of anticipation. Spiritual growth requires active willingness. As a church we are willing to do whatever needs to be done to know we are camping in the center of God's will.

2. Spiritual growth will continue to result in numerical growth. That is never to be the focus or the motive, but if God is moving in my life there will be impact in my relationships. The Kingdom of God is to include numerical growth too. To say that is not spiritual is to accuse God of error. He wants more people to know Him and has chosen the people who already know Him to be the vehicles of that knowledge. If we're doing our job – the church should grow in numbers.

3. We need to plan for both spiritual growth and numerical growth. The first is always the primary and the second a reality of the first. Any kind of growth is not easy, but it is woven into the DNA of the Kingdom of God.

We're making plans. We're pushing some boundaries. We're hungry for what is right. Know this – planning for both kinds of growth will involve change (many people hate this), faith (many people hide from this), and participation (many people refuse this). Change + Faith + Participation = Growth. There's an equation you'll hear more about.

May this stage of the journey of our church be one that honors the previous stages, celebrates the current stages, and savors the leading of God to the next stage.

Thrilled to be Part of the MFMC Story,
Pastor Dave

Using the Right Tools

I have a freezer in the garage that is locked – and has no key.  The key used to be on the handle at the end of a chain.  The chain is there, the key is not.  It's good to know that what is in there is safe; I just don't remember what is in there. 

The freezer still works fine, I can hear it running.  I know that whatever is inside is frozen solid and not rotting.  I'm just not sure what it is that is frozen.

I really don't know how long the key has been missing because I don't remember the last time I put something in or took something out of the freezer.  For us the freezer in the garage is where we put things we probably won't use but don't want to spoil.  It's a way to ignore something without wasting it.

If worse comes to worse I do have two axes, a pry bar, a circular saw, some gasoline, and a match.  I know I can get inside (and would have fun doing so).  I'm just not sure those tools are what I should use.

Using the right tools at the right time would be a good way to go at this.  A cutting torch would work, but the key would work better and do less damage to the garage. 

Are we using the right and effective tools in our walk with God?

Are we using the right and effective tools in our marriage?

Are we using the right and effective tools in our witness?

Today I'm thinking about the tools God has given for growth and obedience.  I'm thinking about the many tools that are missing and as a result our walk with God is sometimes weak, our marriage and relationships are sometimes toxic, and our witness is sometimes ruined.

Before we destroy anything perhaps it would be wise to quit blaming, put the hacksaw away, and ask God to show us the keys to growth again.

FOR SALE:

Used freezer.  Half full of something.  Slight burn and dent marks on the door.

WANTED:

The wisdom to use the right tools with growth in God, unity in marriage, and consistency in witness.

 

Pastor Dave    

couldn’t care less

Have you ever used the phrase, "I couldn't care less?"  I have.  Sometimes I even put some flare to the words.  Not long ago we were watching a TV program and I got up to leave the room.  As I stood up to go I said something along the lines of, "I'm going to look for something that I care less about than this program."  The obvious application is that I cared so little for the program that my "I-care-o-meter" couldn't go any lower.

Some people feel that way about sports.  Who's in what place and who kicked or hit what really doesn't matter to them.  For others it's the news.  The fact that the polls say whatever they are saying doesn't even register to them.  Some even feel that way about God or His church.  To them the thoughts of God are equal to thoughts of Mary Poppin's left shoe.

This morning I was thinking about the things I really don't care about (which the simple fact that I was thinking about it means it would be possible for me to care less… now that I think about it that negates the previous two paragraphs).  It hit me that Jesus could say that about me.  "David Kessler, I couldn't care less about him."

Before you get angry and start writing me an e-mail.  Let me finish.

It's not possible for Jesus to care less for someone.  His care-o-meter registers high enough to die for and it's impossible for it to dip.  Sin doesn't cause Jesus to care less.  Doubt doesn't cause His meter to drop.  My past doesn't affect it in the least.  What someone else thinks of me doesn't cause His level of care to increase or decrease.  He can't care less - He just can't.  It's a nature thing.

The problem is we assume that His care about us and for us rises and falls like an outdoor thermometer level in a Michigan Fall. But it doesn't.  When Jesus says, "I couldn't care less," it's not because the care level has dropped to the bottom and it can go no lower.  It's because His love is perfect and part of His nature and it's not possible for my errors to change His nature (it would be a good idea to read the sentence again).  My failures don't reduce His love for me or His desire to continue to mold me into His image.

So, embrace the truth this weekend that Jesus couldn't care less about you and what you're going through right now – and that's a good thing!

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Cared For,

Pastor Dave