Run the Race Well

This Sunday, while you are reading this, I’ll be running a marathon in Eugene. A marathon is always 26.2 miles. If the distance is not the full 26.2 miles it will be qualified somehow – ½ marathon, ultra marathon.

There is months of running that go into preparing for the marathon. It is not unheard of that someone would attempt a marathon without preparing for it but it almost always turns out really, really, really ugly!

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth these words:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

For Paul every step along the way had purpose and every step along the way had consequences. ‘Strict training’ is how he described an athlete’s preparation for the race. I often tell kids when I coach them – “You play what you practice.” The idea I want them to get is that you can’t practice poorly and perform well in game situation. An athlete ‘plays what he practices.’

Run sloppy, run too little, run too much, run carelessly or foolishly and there are consequences that impact the ability to finish a race well.

Choose sloppy, too little, too much, carelessly or foolishly and there are consequences that impact the ability to finish the race of life well.

Are you striving to make every step count, understand the purpose of your steps all the while aware of the consequences?

That mindset will help you ‘run the race’ well!

Perfect in your relationship to Christ

There is a verse in Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse that describes my mission as a pastor here on the South End of Whidbey Island. Paul said: We tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me. (Colossians 1:28-29 NLT)

I want to do my part to warn and teach you so that you will be presented to God, perfect in your relationship with Christ. That is really the mission of a pastor. To do everything that is possible to help people grow and mature so that their relationship with Christ becomes everything that God has planned for their relationship to become.

Sometimes a pastor has to warn someone. A warning might sound something like this: The choices you are making right now are not going to help you, your marriage, your family or your future. The choices you are making are dangerous and may very well lead to some very negative consequences.

Most of the time a pastor teaches people. I love teaching God’s Word to people. I love talking to people one on one about their spiritual journey and helping them understand God and God’s Word. I love talking to groups about the Word and how it applies to our life and relationships.

I count it as an honor and privilege to help people in their journey with Jesus towards maturity. Thank you for giving me the honor of warning you and teaching you. I want to help you grow so that you will be perfect in your relationship with Jesus.

Thanks from Rocky and Wendy Dede in Papua New Guinea

Dear SWAG family,
We would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you for your many prayers and financial gifts. The total offering from SWAG covered the traveling costs for Cynthia and Rocky and even some of the medical bills. Thank you! And we are praising God for what appears to be a miracle! When Cynthia saw the ophthalmologist here in Papua New Guinea, he saw what appeared to be holes in the back of both of her eyes. But, by the time she saw the ophthalmologist in Brisbane, the holes were nowhere to be found. And after numerous test and scans to make sure, everything came up normal. And we have pictures of the inside of her eyes, the outside of her eyes and even her whole brain and everything looks great. We are so grateful to know for certain that nothing serious is wrong. She does continue to struggle a bit with focusing properly, and she has glasses coming (in the mail) to help her with seeing better in school. The eye doctor told us her eyesight should go back to normal again in a few months. We continue to pray that it does. Cynthia’s faith was challenged and strengthened in all this, along with some of her close friends who had been praying for her through this. God continues to amaze us with His goodness and grace.
With love,
Rocky, Wendy, Cynthia & Leah Dede.

Relationships: Complex and Confusioning

Is anything in life more confusing than relationships? It doesn’t matter whether the relationship is marriage, parenting, in-laws, siblings, church family, neighbors, co-workers or extended community, they always have bumps and there is always some measure of confusion.

Some people handle relationships by just doing what comes naturally to them. These people of course don’t have very many relationships. The relationships that they do have are often broken, one-sided and not very pretty.

Some people have numerous relationships but, only with those that they want to relate to. They are very selective in their relationships. Some people have lots of relationships but they are not very deep. Others have just a few relationships that tend to be deeper. We could probably all agree that whatever the relationship landscape looks like relationships can be complex and confusing.

The book titles: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus or Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti or the parenting quote: Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree, ring true because they describe the confusion and complexity of relationships.

Much of Jesus teaching was either about relationships – Love one another … (John 13:34) or used relationships to illustrate a point – the story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus was an expert at relationships. Since He was never selfish his motives were pure, his attitudes correct, his responses appropriate and his actions loving.

Jesus wants to create in us the selfless, pure, correct motives, attitudes, responses and actions towards others. We are to ‘Love our neighbors as we love ourselves.’ This will happen only as Jesus creates in us His nature, priorities, perspectives and purposes. Jesus being formed in us will revolutionize how relationships happen in our lives. If how relationships look in our life is not different than those around us – Jesus nature may not be being formed in us.

If Jesus is being formed in me – my relationships will be impacted by integrity and love.

Resurrection

You have no doubt heard Peter referred to as the Apostle Peter, or Paul referred to as the Apostle Paul. There were a number of leaders who were referred to as apostles but the number of those referred to as ‘The Apostles’ was limited by a number of factors. One of the factors that determined whether a leader was an apostle or was recognized as one of The Apostles was that the person had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus. Only those who were leaders in the church and who had seen the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes were counted among The Apostles.

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was the foundation for, and the basis of, the incredible increase in the number of those who committed their lives to follow Him as the Messiah. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, then everything else we know about Him would amount to little more than a good example and someone to quote. Millions of people, down through two millennia, would not pledge their life, family, fortune and security based on a good example or a good teacher.

Here is something you might not know:
“But here's the amazing thing that the media isn't telling you: More Iranians will celebrate Easter this year -- the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ -- than at any other time in human history. That's because more Iranians have renounced Islam and become followers of Jesus Christ in the last 31 years than the past 14 centuries combined.”

A Christian is not just someone who follows an example or who is a student of a good teacher. A Christian is someone who surrenders to Jesus, the resurrected Messiah, making Him the master, leader and Lord of their life. A Christian is someone who relies upon Jesus to continually change their life and to make them into the person God intended for them to be. Changing a person’s life and making them into the person God intends for them to be happens by the resurrection power of Jesus.

Have you surrendered to the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Is He the master, leader and Lord of your life? Are you continually relying upon Him to change you and to make you into the person that God intends for you to be? If not, today is the day to surrender to the resurrected Messiah and rely upon him to change you and make you into the person God intends for you to be.