Sermon Snippets

We are starting a new sermon series in the book of Proverbs this week. Proverbs is widely known for it's poetic nuggets of wisdom. 

The wisdom of Proverbs is more than just 'book-smarts'. It's not given just so we can have a lot of head knowledge. The wisdom of Proverbs is given so we can successfully apply theology to real life.

Over and over again, the emphasis is on how to behave in real world situations. Advice is offered on friendships, family and marriage relationships, business, finances, government, poverty and wealth along with a myriad of other areas.

The foundational principle that holds it all together is found in the very first chapter. 1:7 says,

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

All thirty one chapters worth of counsel is couched in the context of fearing the Lord. We must have a humble respect for God and submit to His will if we want to find true wisdom and true success in life.

Wisdom is often ascribed to those with gray hairs, who have lots of experience or education. Those things often contribute to wisdom and certainly provide individuals with worldly wisdom. But godly wisdom, which leads to worldly success and heavenly blessing, is only possible when we fear the Lord and follow His ways.

Music Monday

The missions trip really threw off my blogging routine. But we're back with a Music Monday this evening.
Quick note, on the last part of my missions trip - we did win our last game on Friday, went sight-seeing and shopping at a mall in Manila, then took off early Sunday AM for home...eventually arriving back in the States in the early afternoon on Sunday. Gotta love the long flight over the date line.

This week's musical selection is based on a confession I made in my sermon yesterday. But to give it some context, I was preaching on Philippians 4, and in vs.8-9, Paul gives them some values and qualities we ought to be upholding and applying to the things we think about. Using these verses as a guide for our TV/Movie/Music consumption is an easy application for "whatever is excellent or praiseworthy" and the rest of the list. 

I mentioned I'd be fine with anyone looking through my iPod at my music library because I feel it conforms to the moral parameters Paul lists, even if some of my albums are "secular". I did confess though that there's probably one song on my list I'd be 'embarrassed' by - though not because it's a shady song. Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." was our theme song for the basketball missions trip I took back in 2011 with my LCA basketball team I was coaching at the time. So I uploaded it and added it to my library. It's sort of embarrassing but it has a sentimental place in my heart.

So here's a little fun for everyone - of course I can't completely endorse the artist or her lifestyle - but it's a fun song. The larger point of all of this is - does our TV watching or music library conform to the biblical definition of "good". It's a challenging calling that convicts me in many ways because I know I compromise all too often. But let's keep evaluating ourselves and what we are allowing our minds to dwell on.

Days 3-4-5: Back to Back to Back

As I mentioned in my last post, we traveled out of Manila on Wednesday to play some games in another city. That city turned out to be Subic. As with games in Manila, we were connecting with local pastors in the area and traveling to various barangays (neighborhoods) to play.

This week's set up was unique in that our games on Wednesday and Thursday were basically back to backs. Once we finished a game early Wednesday evening in a barangay, we traveled to another facility to play another team right away. It's not an ideal set-up, especially physically, but we worked through it.

Wednesdays first game was a tight contest with a decent crowd. If my memory serves correctly, that was the game I shared about Christ with the audience at halftime. The second game was in a facility that seemed like a resort, and there wasn't much of a crowd. Sometimes that's the way it is though and we focus on ministering to the opposing team.

Thursday's schedule allowed us to sleep in and then travel to a beach around lunch. It was nice to relax, briefly swim, and bond more as a team. The Subic area is more of a resort area north of Manila. The ride there has amazing views and the beach was pretty nice though fairly empty. We played two games in the evening, starting with a fairly easy game in a barangay. On the way to the second context, we hit some brutal traffic and got there pretty late. The other team and the crowd were patient and once we got started we realized this would be a hard-fought but fun game. We pulled out a victory but most importantly got to share the Gospel with our biggest crowd yet. We can't understand the pastors when the share the Gospel after we have introduced ourselves, but those who know the language have said our set of pastors we've had with us this trip have been exceptionally good and giving a clear message about Jesus. We have observed that the pastors here are very unassuming, sincere, hard-working, and genuine in a way that not all pastors are in the States. I could learn something from them for sure.

This morning we played in a prison against some inmates. The court had a car on it that couldn't be moved, so we just played in two groups of 4 on 4. It was a cool time because we had a lot of down time while we waited and we were able to interact with a lot of the prisoners in a deeper way.

Tonight we play our final game. We are looking forward to it because it should be a good game, but also because it will be our last one. Us old guys are pushing the limits of our capabilities right now. But it's all good, cause it is for God's glory.

Day 2 Recap

Before I recount the events of Tuesday, I thought I would comment on one aspect of the Philippines that is ever-present wherever you go and whatever you do: the heat.

Indiana is known for having hot and humid summers, especially in August. The PI is that same sort of climate only intensified, making air conditioning or "air-con" a wonderful blessing if it is available. I step out of my room each morning a little cold since we've been running the air-con all night on high. That feeling of coolness evaporates immediately upon opening the door. Even at 6:30 am, you start to sweat. So each vehicle we ride in, building we enter, and room we reside in with air-con is a sweet oasis of magical proportions.

So Day 2 held the first of our basketball games. But in the morning we toured several ministry facilities around our home base. The Long's are the family who owns the compound we are staying in. Through an incredible confluence of events, they were given school dormitories that were no longer used and the vision developed to have this as a base for the numerous work teams and ministry teams that come through. The Long's also branched out and started an orphanage, a school, and an abused women's shelter, seeking to help the helpless in the neighborhood (baranguay) of about 5,000 they live in. It was neat to see and hear how God worked to bring about these opportunities but also eye-opening to encounter some of the evil that is at work in the world.

After lunch we relaxed a bit before getting our stuff around for our 6:30 pm game. We left two plus hours ahead of time to make sure we arrived on time because of traffic (more on that in a later post). Before the game, we toured the garment shop that 2:5 Apparel runs to make their jerseys. 2:5 is the business run by my good friend and former teammate Daniel Bucher and his brother Ryan who are leading this trip.

We knew we'd be facing the best team we'd play all week. They had several current and former PBA players on their squad. The PBA is their NBA and the players and teams are probably comparable to low NCAA D I teams and players. To boost our chances, we added Kirk Long, the son of the Long's who are hosting us. He's sort of a celebrity in Manilla because he was a very good player on the best college team in the PI and is hoping to play in the PBA soon (the PBA is very restrictive in only allowing Filipinos to play). 

We hung with our opposing team for the first three quarters. They were killing our zone defense with threes and killing us in transition, but we were within five after the 3rd quarter. The 12 minute quarters proved to be the downfall for our older team and we fell apart in the final stanza, losing 139-118. We were able to get our local pastor, Alvin, into the game near the end and fed him shots every time - which got the crowd back into it. And the last possession we even took a toddler from the stands, put him on our center's shoulders, and helped him make a basket to everyone's cheers. 

It was fun but we were all worn out and a little disappointed in how it turned out. I played ok, getting in double figures but missed a bunch of open threes - probably how are entire team played in a nutshell. We ate afterwards and had a good devotional time when we got back home. It's been great to get to know these guys and talk about our Christian walks and really come together as a team. It's a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ.

That's all for now, it's Wednesday morning and we're leaving in 90 minutes to go to a province somewhere outside Manila. It will be a 3-4 hour drive and then we'll play two games this afternoon and this evening. Prayers for good health and safety are appreciated. 

Day 1 recap

A couple  years a go, a hurricane hit Manilla. Beyond the normal dangers of a hurricane, Manilla was particularly vulnerable because of its large population of squatters and poorer people who live in shanties and makeshift homes.

Once the cleanup started, the government enacted a displacement policy (for lack of a better term) for some of these areas. That means that thousands of people were uprooted to uninhabited parts of outer Manilla - disconnecting many of them from public transportation that could allow them to keep jobs.  So many families are stuck here and will be stuck here with little hope of improving their living conditions.

So yesterday morning we participated in a feeding program that reaches out to one of these areas on a twice-a-week basis. We transported tubs full of a rice and bean meal and served them out of the back of a van to hundreds of kids and some adults who brought cups and bowls and anything that could hold this soup.

In the afternoon, our immersion into this culture continued as we visited an orphanage that provides housing and round-the-clock care to girls between the ages of 7-17 who have been abused. After playing some games with them, we took them out to a pizza place for dinner.

Both ministries broke our hearts for these kids who are dealing with and have dealt with so much. It's maddening in some ways to realize these problems still exist in our 2014 world. But it is encouraging to know that God is using these agencies to pierce the darkness. And it is an honor to know that we can join the fight by praying and doing something as basic as playing dodgeball.

My prayer is that Christ's love will continue to reflect off of us the rest of the week the same as it did our first day.

What day is it?

I'm currently on a missions trip and have arrived safely after about 17 hours of flying. It is Monday morning where we are at, but we left on Saturday afternoon. So jetlag is a serious possibility.

Thankfully, I'm adjusting pretty well and always have on these trips (this is my 3rd time). Still, it's a little disorienting to realize it's my anniversary (Love You Stephanie) but not at home.

Today we're going to visit a food ministry that passes out meals and then in the afternoon visiting the orphanage this ministry sponsors. Later on in the week will be filled with basketball games but for now, we're acclimating ourselves to the city and our surroundings.

Keep our team in prayer as we travel around Manilla and the PI. May God use us to plant a lot of seeds and help make a lot of connections for local pastors.

Music Mondays

This is likely showing my age, but I signed up for my first email account in high school with Juno. It was in the days when you could have an email account, but not an internet connection.

As I explored the world of this new technology, I soon realized the popular thing to do was add pithy quotes to the bottom line of your email, almost like a "P.S.". As I thought of ideas for my own special quote to go with my signature, a line from a favorite hymn - "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" -  popped into my head:

"Love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all"

This fit well because I was personally embracing my commitment to take up my cross and follow Jesus. I had decided to pursue a career in full-time Christian ministry and was dedicated to doing whatever God wanted me to do with my life. I still had MANY lessons to learn about this, but that part of the song rang true to where my heart was. 

We concluded our service yesterday with the below version of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". It's a different tune and approach, but I appreciate how it lets each line marinate on our lips and in our minds. And I especially appreciate how it concludes by focusing on the lines which have struck a cord with me since my early email days.

Sermon Snippets

Everyone likes to get away, take a break, and relax. 

It's nice to get away from home, work, and the normal routine for sure. There are some things though we can't escape or take a vacation from. Included in this is our relationship with God.
But for whatever reason, something in us is wired to coast and take it easy when it comes to living for Jesus. Complacency is the enemy of spiritual growth and we must take care to persevere in our walks. 

This is Paul's perspective in Philippians 3:12-4:1. Paul was an incredible servant of God and one of the greatest missionaries ever. But he never rested on his laurels and he never quit pursuing a deeper relationship with his Savior. It's a high calling, but it offers an abundant hope and unlimited power to 'keep on keeping on.'

Basketball coach and cancer victim Jim Valvano once famously said, "Don't give up, don't ever give up." That echoes Paul's message. Let's keep pressing on and depend on the Spirit as we seek to become all God wants us to be.