1 Samuel 21

An odd chapter...David and a few of his loyal compatriots have escaped from Saul who is plotting to kill him. They get to Nob and meet up with the Priest, Ahimilech who has no food to offer them except the Holy Bread (aka the Bread of the Presence). David uses deceit to reassure Ahimilech that nothing is wrong. They trick their way into some grub, even though the grub is not lawful for them to eat.

At first glance, it is easy to get caught up in the sinfulness of the story. David lies to a priest, then the priest, who seems fearful of the whole scene decides to give the men bread that is not to be eaten by anyone but the priests. Then David uses deception again pretending he is a madman to avoid hostile confrontation in Gath. Lies, deception and disobedience...all without reprimand?

Then we check out the gospel parallel to this passage and Jesus is picking grain on the sabbath to eat with his disciples. This is again a forbidden act and what does Jesus due in response to the inquisition? He cites 1 Samuel 21. It seems like he justifies his 'sin' by pointing the pharisees to another sin. It's like if I said, "Well, the reason I commit adultery is because David did with Bathsheba back in 1 Samuel!" The line of thinking seems odd.

But then Jesus gets to the heart of the matter..."I desire mercy, not sacrifice." In other words, if someone is hungry, they need to be fed, and that trumps the rules and regulations that we have in place. David was malnourished and Ahimelech did the right thing by helping him (even if David was not entirely truthful).

I think one of the biggest challenges for Christians is to get past the stigmas and seek to help. Oh you have AIDS? Oh you've been divorced 4 times? Oh you're gay? Christians want to see the ailments and sins fixed before they seek to reach out a hand. But that is not God's Mode of Operation. He reaches out to the hopeless, the fatherless, the needy and meets them in the midst of their need. We are called to walk across the room to the ugliest, unloveliest and offer irrational love and grace...

because we are simply beggars, called to tell other beggars where we have found bread.

so that's where that came from

Heard this in connection to every sporting event I've been to in the last few months.


May sound more familiar below.



Going to start playing this before I preach to get the place bumpin'.

its here!

Been saving one of my itune giftcards for this week!

David Crowder's Church Music is now playing.

Listening to it now for the first time. This one song is worth the entire album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWgeUrD4MHI

I believe the Church should be the most creative place on earth and these guys do some brilliant things musically to that end.

Student of the Word

I am slowly, methodically going through 1 Samuel. I thought I'd post how my mind works when reading scripture. In seminary, pastors are trained to go into more detail in this process (which is known as Exegesis). So consider this Exegesis Lite.

1 Samuel 19

Flow of the passage
1-7 Johnathan comes to David's aid.
8-17 Michal comes to David's aid.
18-24 Samuel comes to David's aid.

Perspectives
David: The guy is nothing but loyal to King Saul. He goes out and fights valiantly at Saul's every command. He playes the strings to soothe Saul's torment. He brings victory, wealth and fame to Israel every step of the way for King Saul, but even so, his life is in danger at the hand of the one he is trying to serve.

Johnathan: The loyalty of a friend is as thick as family ties. Johnathan risks everything by speaking to Saul about sparing David.

Michal: To serve my husband David, who God's favor is upon or serve my father Saul, who is becoming consumed with jealousy and hatred?

Saul: I know that God's favor is on another and not me. I am consumed with jealousy because I was the one the people asked for, but now David is the one God is asking for. What can I do? My own family has sided with my biggest threat to the throne. If I don't kill David, I will lose my crown, my people, my family. He must die.

Questions I have about the text:*What is going on with David and Michal owning a human sized idol? Are they polytheist at this time? How does this show David as a man after God's own heart?

*What exactly is meant by the evil spirits and the spirit of God falling on people? Would everyone have recognized the evil spirit of torment or is this just the writer of 1 Samuel's revelation of how things transpired?

*What is going on at the end of the chapter when Saul and the others strip and prophesy naked? Is this standard protocol for the ones prophesying in the OT?

Possible Lessons/Applications
1. God's anointing trumps all else. If God has placed his anointing and call on our lives and we are living wholeheartedly into that calling, it can't help but be known to the world. God's favor gives us victories in battles, gifting to combat evil, and loyalty from those who are aware of God's Presence. What has He called you to? Are you certain you are abiding in His call or simply meeting needs?

2. Jealousy Kills.Whether Saul is successful or not in trying to kill David, one thing is certain, His Jealousy will kill someone, but most often, jealousy will kill the one who is jealous, not the one we're jealous of.

Hope this gives you a glimpse of my hermeneutics (approach to studying scripture).

Just Walk Across the Room

Our Church is doing a 5 week study on Bill Hybels' book "Just Walk Across the Room." Shaina and I's small group begins tonight and I am excited about the potential of this study. I love small groups because community happens there, spiritual growth happens there and pastoral care happens there.

People who are either not connected to church, or are not connected to a small group inside a church family have a very small network for support in crisis. The most amazing thing about God's family that I have witnessed is how they stir to action in moments of crisis.

The challenge to all of us is that small groups do not fall in our lap. We must walk across the room and seek to connect. The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step. Are you ready to take the first step?

quotable.

"If I am able to say in very truth, 'I was buried with Christ thirty years ago,' I must surely be dead. Certainly the world thought so, for not long after my burial with Jesus I began to preach his name, and by that time the world thought me very far gone, and said, 'He stinketh.' They began to say all manner of evil against the preacher; but the more I stank in their nostrils the better I liked it, for the surer I was that I was really dead to the world."

C.H. Spurgeon.

So...how's your stench.

A Corny weekend

Had a fun weekend. Got to go golfing at Chenoweth Golf Course in Green. Not an overly difficult course unless you are spraying the ball all over the place. I scored 100 on the dot. yikes.

Also went to the Akron Zips inaugural game in their new football stadium. Saw guys parachute into the stadium, Zippy ride in on a Harley, and the only Ohio football victory of the weekend.

Got home and did some last minute detail work for Sunday, then watched the Buckeyes choke away another one (though to be honest, I was very surprised, they made it a game).

Sunday, our church kicked off our fall series on Just Walk Across the Room and had our second annual cornhole tournament. It was a good turnout, great weather and a competitive tourney. Thanks to all at WUMC who came out to make it a success and for those who helped with set up/clean up as well! My father in law and I won our first round game but then struggled against team Yummy Bears. Off season workout program begins now.

Got home from cornhole and sort've just chilled out the rest of the evening, playing with Shadow and watching some football.

If God is for us.

It is better to fight a battle against 1000 enemies with God on your side than to try to fight a single adversary by yourself.

This reality should drive us to our knees. When we attempt to solve conflict or take on problems attempting to use our own volition, strength and competency, we will struggle

But when we have sat and drank from the Lord's cup and know what he has for us, then and only then do we become a force to be reckoned with.

Johnathan took out a whole group of Philistines because God was with him. David upset Goliath because God was for him. The Church survived early persecutions because God worked through them.

God fill us up.

Desperate Times...

1 Samuel 13 tells of Saul in a desperate situation. The Philistines are pressing in on him, his own people are losing courage and bailing on him, and he is stuck waiting for Samuel the prophet to come and offer sacrifices. Add to this, that Samuel is late, and Saul's situation is about as dire as it gets. So he makes the call to offer the sacrifices instead of Samuel, who ends up showing up as Saul is doing this. The repercussions are devastating. Saul's kingdom and rule are now more or less ruined and cursed, as God has appointed a new man to take over.

Here's the fact. Desperate Times do not call for desperate measures. They call for desperate leaders. Too many times, Church leaders seek to put out fires, insure that the people are pleased, save face, appease the masses, redirect the vision, compromise the mission, all for the sake of keeping the people from leaving, or because the enemy is closing in, or because God's answers have not shown up yet.

A Desperate Leader doesn't compromise anything, but instead goes to his or her knees crying out for God's intervention. A desperate leader turns to God's Word for lasting comfort rather than turning to his or her own competency or skills to make a quick fix. Desperate Leaders point to God as the solution rather than pointing at circumstances and situations as the problem.

So what is your M.O. in desperate times?

Back in the Saddle

I'm back from Vacation.

Shaina came home Thursday from work and I had 3 envelopes waiting for her. She had to pick one, all of which had approximate mileage, cost and Friday morning departure time.

She chose what I called "The Carnivore Package". We left Friday around 11 and headed to downtown Columbus, arriving in German Village at the historic Schmidt's Sausage Haus. We ate a meatilicious lunch, Shaina having the Reuben Sandwich, me having the classic Bahama Mama Sausage. It was a great lunch and then we enjoyed a walk around German Village. It is a beautiful older part of Columbus, almost surreal to walk through old brick villages with the skyscraper horizon in view.

We then went to Bob and Kathy's in Plain City. Bob has had a lasting impact on my relationship with God and they have just moved back to Ohio from Washington State. We played some cards and just relaxed.

Saturday we left for Springboro and spent the day at my sister Becky's with her husband Chuck and their kids Ethan and Kaitlynn. We had a good time, but I was down for the count, picked up a fever, enough snot in my sinuses to congest a small village, and just complete ache everywhere.

Saturday night the fever broke and Shaina and I went to Southwest Church on Sunday morning. The church was in a YMCA. The message was biblical and there were some gems, but the pastor spoke for 40 minutes and only hit 2 of his 3 points. This was foreign to us as we have been in services that have to happen in an hour tops for the last few years.

Had some pizza back at Becky and Chuck's and then played hide and seek and soccer and then took off to continue our adventure. Originally the culmination of the carnivore package was to head to the Columbus zoo, but we would have gotten there and only had about 3 hours to explore. So we called up Bob and Kathy and hooked back up with them for dinner and we learned Rummikub.

We came back Monday and got unpacked. A good trip. Rest happened. I read a 700 page fiction book in one week. Now its time to go hard or go home. Fall Kickoff, Small Groups Launching, New Series starting. Here we go.

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day four



Shaina and I have been ending our nights watching you tube clips in bed until be wind down. We used to watch Whose Line Is It Anyways all the time, so we found a ton of clips on you tube and just watch a few each night. This one had us both laughing to the point of crying. Up until the last few weeks, it seems like it had been a long time since we'd laughed hard like that. Not that we're unhappy...but there is something strange about the "Real World". Joy and laughter seem to disappear.

Here's my commitment to laugh regularly. I'm gonna play dorky games like stupid ninja, watch you tube clips, enjoy friendships and if all else fails, I'm going to watch Mary Poppins and sing "I love to laugh."

What has stolen your joy? What keeps you from laughing? It's not that we shouldn't have moments of seriousness, but daggone, I'm gonna lighten up. There are funny things in life and I'm going to indulge. hahahahahahahaha.

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Day Three

Information vs. Transformation
I send out a weekly leadership devotional to some key leaders/teachers in our church. I thought I'd post this one here as well. Too often we become inundated with information and fail to allow God to form us more into his people.

Luke 10:25-37

I like Jesus, don't you? Here's this lawyer who wants a clear explanation of Jesus' teaching. This is a good and right request to a rabbi. Before, I consider taking your 'yoke' (a way of saying that you are a disciple of a certain rabbi), you should know what he teaches. And Jesus, He's a good teacher. He starts it off with the Book and sums up the Law with the Commands to love God and neighbor, which is pretty standard stuff...

But then he brings in the HOOK...a powerful story that has as its hero a Samaritan...a good for nothing half breed that was viewed by many as worse than the unbeliever, because they had the promise and then threw it away and married non-Jews. Jesus teaches to love beyond cultural barrier, to love beyond social norms, and to love beyond our own justifications.

But then he hits home. "Go and Do Likewise." Four words that shake the foundations of the Jewish world! (and our world too?) Four words that would make the lawyer distinct from the rest of the world. (And make us distinct too?) Four words that make "Orthodoxy" (Right Belief) into "Orthopraxy" (Right Practice)

Too many times we try to pour information into the people we lead and teach. That if they know the Bible more, or know of God more, or know of the cultural setting of the Bible more, that they will follow Christ more. Yet Jesus has challenged this (and us?)...Forget Information...Embrace Transformation. Don't just hear the words that sum up the Law...Go and Do Likewise!

I will close with a quote from Mark Batterson, "Most of us are educated far beyond our level of obedience. We don't need another sermon. We don't need another service..." We need to go and do likewise!

May you be a catalyst to your people engaging in meaningful ministry to the world. And may you assist in the making of disciples for the transformation of the world!

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Day Two

"For Better or Worse"

I love my wife.

After five years of marriage, I think I finally discovered and spoke her love language.

We were just into bed after a nice night of dinner at Rockne's and shopping at WalMart, when suddenly my wife gasped and looked at me with a frown. No I had not just taken my shirt off to reveal my pasty caucasian flab. Instead, Shaina had something in her hair that was making her nervous.

We went into the bathroom and turned on the lights and like a mother monkey lovingly grooming her baby monkey, I began picking through my beloved's scalp. Shortly, I found it, a little bugger that looked alot like the above little buggers...maybe a little bigger than the biggest. A tick...but he didn't just want to surrender...he was trying to burrow into her scalp to eat her succulent brain matter. So I clamped down and ripped the sucker out (along with a good portion of Shaina's hair and scalp). Shaina quickly flushed it down the toilet, perhaps thinking baptism might make the situation less grotesque.

She combed her fingers through her hair and felt something more...Wouldn't ya know it, MegaTick's little cousin Tickeysha was frolicking in the meadows of Shaina's follicles. I quickly snatched her up like a fat kid grabs a fudgeround and booyah...Shaina was groomed.

Not sure if the dog is bringing this Tick family into the house or what, but this all went down about an hour and a half ago and guess who cannot go to sleep now? Me...there's just this sensation that there are thousands of ticks in my bed and they are just waiting to burrow in my pasty whiteness.

It's a funny and nasty story. But I call it a love story. After all Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It does not hesitate when giant creatures seek to feast on brains. Straight out of the Bible...It's in the Greek.

P.S. Yes Shaina's hygiene is excellent. She showers far more regularly than I do.

P.P.S. With that said...this is the third different tick encounter she has had since I've known her. It has to be her voluptuous scalp, mixed with an intoxicating aroma of brain matter that lures these buggers to her rather than me.

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Day One:

consumers and producers

We live in a time and a culture that is best defined as consumption driven. We consume more resources than anyone else at any time else in history. We're even consuming resources at a speed with which nature can not keep up.

While this is an important issue, consumption of natural resources is not the point of this post. Worship is.

Do we have the mindset in our churches of consumers of worship or producers of worship? Consider this: Since the age of Constantine, we have had the church institution that is built exactly like a theatre. There seems to be an audience and some key performers (pastors/priests/worship leaders/etc) who are 'on stage.

This is a terrible concept of worship.

It breeds an understanding of worship that allows an audience to be largely 1)Non-participatory, 2)Critical, 3)Disconnected.

1. Non-participation
If I am in the "audience", my role is not significant. The people on stage represent me or are there on my behalf somehow. This destroys the notion of the priesthood of all believers. Somehow we must reorient our worship so that each of us has the view that we are on stage offering and performing our worship for a Most High Audience of One. We must move from Consumers of Worship to PRODUCERS OF WORSHIP.

2. Critical
When I am a consumer of worship, I am entitled to be critical of what is being offered by the leaders. So when they sing Come Now is the Time to Worship, or some other 1980s song that I am weary of, that is on me, because somehow it has become about my preferences, opinions or ideals. When we move to being producers, our critic becomes God, and the desperation to orient ourselves around right worship becomes overwhelming as we know even our most spectacular praise is spectacularly inadequate for our Lord.

3. Disconnected
The more consumer minded we become about worship, the easier it is to disconnect from the body. "They don't feed me there." You know who requires to be fed? Babies? If you are maturing in your relationship with Christ, feed yourself. God is a Mighty and gracious God. If you draw near to him through his word/prayer/worship, he will feed you as you feed yourself. If I hear this "I'm not being fed" thing anymore in our churches, I will organize a sunday where everyone gets a bib and a diaper when they come into church. May as well treat them how they are acting right?

So the task of leaders is to reorient our worshipping communities from Consumers of Worship to Producers of Worship. Any thoughts on how?