Pride: Misplaced Confidence

This Sunday we take on the first, and according to Thomas Aquinas and many others, the worst of the 7 deadly sins. I introduced the message with a clip from the film “Shenandoah”, starring my all-time favorite actor, Jimmy Stewart. Set in Virginia during the Civil War, Stewart plays the patriarch of a large family attempting to sit out the war going on all around their farm. The clip occurs near the beginning of the film when Stewart offers the most ungrateful prayer at the dinner table. You can see it @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzzyZ1M-kVU . Charlie Anderson is not a man of faith. If you haven’t seen the 1965 classic it is definitely worth a rental, the ending is good.

In preparing this message I found C.S. Lewis’ chapter on pride in his book Mere Christianity to be very helpful. He identifies what sinful pride is not. It is not pleasure in being praised. I often feel awkward when I’m praised by others. The truth is that I know the one praising me is grossly overestimating my good qualities. But we all enjoy genuine and truthful praise. Lewis says, “The saved soul to whom Christ says, “Well done” is pleased and ought to be.” The problem is in the person who lives for the applause of others and will do virtually anything to get it.

Lewis also insists that sinful pride is not “warm-hearted admiration for another.” For example, it is not sinful for a father to be proud of his son. Lewis writes, “To love & admire anything outside yourself is to take one step away from utter spiritual ruin; though we shall not be well so long as we love and admire anything more than we love and admire God.” The problem is when we take a precious gift of God, like a son or daughter, and elevate that gift in our hearts above God.

Spiritual pride is difficult to detect in ourselves and even more difficult to deal with when detected. In the message I offered an assignment based on Rebecca DeYoung’s statement in her book, Glittering Vices. She suggests 2 spiritual disciplines in the battle against vainglory & pride: silence & solitude. “In silence,” she writes, “we can recognize our anxious need to create an approving audience for ourselves, and the discipline of solitude removes the audience.”

Here’s the assignment:

1. For an entire day don’t talk about yourself… AT ALL!

No stories about you, no sharing your feelings or opinions. Then reflect on how much effort you devote to calling attention to yourself to win the approval of others.

2. Help someone this week

Any act of service will do except for giving someone money. This is about giving your time & energy. Here’s the catch: do it secretly! Don’t tell ANYONE!

3. Memorize the sinner’s prayer and meditate on it daily this week: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Let me know how the assignment goes this week, especially that part about not talking about yourself for an entire day. That reminds me of a story about myself… wait… never mind.
Blessing: (Phil 2:3) “May you ‘do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.’ Amen.”

7 Deadly Sins and Ray Bradbury

I was sad to see the report that prolific science fiction writer Ray Bradbury passed away last week. I love to read, but science fiction is not one of my favorite genres. I can count on one hand the number of science fiction books I’ve read in my life and three of those are by C.S. Lewis. But I do love a good story and Bradbury was a master story teller.

Oddly enough I read my one and only Bradbury book just last month. The book: Something Wicked This Way Comes. I saw the film based on the book back in the 1980s. I was fascinated by the film and remembered it as I was contemplating doing a sermon series on the “7 Deadly Sins”, so I found a copy of the book to read. This Bradbury book is not a science fiction work, but a strange and haunting story about two 14 year-old boys, one with no father, and the other with a father who thinks he’s too old to be the dad his son needs. It’s also a story about secret desires that burn within the soul, desires and dreams that are seductive, promising unimaginable fulfillment and pleasure. And it’s a story of the devil’s work, making those desires come true, but at an unexpected and devastating price.

Bradbury’s story of two teenage boys seeking adventure and mystery at a bizarre late October carnival that comes to their small town is really about temptation and how it works in all of us. The sinister carnival master, Mr. Dark, seems to know everyone’s secret weakness and intends to exploit to the fullest every single one of them. It’s a page-turner with plenty of close calls, unexpected twists, and a good soul. I think it’s a good read.

As I stated at the beginning, I picked up Something Wicked This Way Comes to read as I was preparing a new sermon series. That new series starts today, June 10. I’ve given it the title “7 Deadly Soul Viruses”. I have two goals for the series; the first is to discover how these soul-viruses lead to destructive thinking & behavior that poisons our relationships, damages our own souls, & pushes us away from God. The second goal is to offer the appropriate remedy to each one, what we might call the spiritual antivirus. What are the 7? This Sunday I’ll introduce them with a somewhat spooky video short. For the next few weeks… 7, to be exact, I’ll be blogging about the upcoming Sunday messages and fishing for some input. If you are not able to be at Pflugerville Community Church on a given Sunday, you can always hear the message on line @ http://www.pc-church.org/media.php . I’m not saying my preaching is as stimulating as Bradbury’s novels, but I try to include a good twist now and then, and even the occasional surprise ending.

You can learn more about Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes @

http://www.amazon.com/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes/dp/0380977273/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339313754&sr=1-1

You can learn more about the church I pastor @ Pflugerville Community Church Website

Here's the assignment given at the conclusion of Sunday's message:
1) Note the biggest and least of the 7… in you. Off the top of your head which of the 7 do you think you struggle with the most, and which of the 7 do you struggle with the least? Write down your answer and save it to reconsider at the conclusion of the series.
2) Memorize 1 John 1:8-9 and meditate on it daily this week.
3) Read my blog @ http://pvillepastor.blogspot.com/
let’s make this series interactive.

Sharing Mom

Mary Lou Clem - Our Spiritual Mother

 “Why don’t you introduce your mom and have her give all the moms and women of the church a blessing?”
“I don’t think half the church knows my mom and dad are members.”
“She’s led the women’s ministry for years and she’s a spiritual mother to every woman in the church.”
So a discussion with a couple of moms in the church about how to make Mother’s Day a bit more special for the women of the church led to me asking my mother to prepare and deliver a blessing to all the women of PCC.

My mom, Mary Lou, “The Sheriff” as my dad likes to call her, is a true leader. For years she was the administrator of one of the largest nursing homes in central Texas. Retirement was simply an opportunity to take on a major leadership role in the church. A gifted leader and administrator, she leads leaders. The Women’s Ministry leadership team is made up of highly dedicated and motivated women who lead their own teams focused on women’s spiritual education, mentoring, service, fellowship, and outreach.  They all look to my mom for encouragement, inspiration, and direction. They respect her leadership and administrative skills. They love her, because they know she loves them, and every woman connected to PCC. In a growing church with over 500 members my mom insists on meeting and welcoming every new female member personally at a coffee she hosts in her home.

Her love is not limited to PCC members. My mom has a passion for reaching women in the entire Pflugerville community. One of her favorite projects is the annual Back-to-School Luncheon and Fashion Show put on by the PCC Women’s Ministry every September. The purpose of the luncheon is to shower our local area teachers with love and attention… and it does. Mom makes sure invitations to the luncheon are delivered to every school in PISD. Every teacher leaves the luncheons feeling blessed and appreciated.

The message last Sunday was on the baptism of Jesus and focused on the voice of the Father saying, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." After the final worship song, when the congregation expected me to deliver the blessing, my mom came and stood by me in the pulpit. I introduced her as my mom, Women’s Ministry Leader, and spiritual mother to all the women of PCC. I think every woman there looked to her with eager expectation when I said, “My mom, your spiritual mother, is going to give us the blessing today.” Here’s the blessing she delivered…

“To all the mothers, grandmothers, big sisters, aunts, women who are encouragers, mentors, teachers, any woman who has influence over the next generation, we give you recognition today and ask a special blessing for you.

May God bless you with faith that will sustain you in every situation and overcome every obstacle in your path.
May He clothe you with strength and dignity.
May you speak wisdom and may the teaching of kindness be upon your tongue.
May you have a sense of humor; laughter to lighten your load.
May your children rise up and call you blessed.
May you be filled with the peace of God that passes all understanding.
And when you see Jesus face to face, may you hear these words:
       "You are my daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

I wish every child could have a mom like I did as child. I wish every adult could have mom like I have now. For those at PCC, in a way, you do, for my mom is your spiritual mother. And it is a joy to share her love with all of you.

“Fly Away" or "Cast Your Cares”? (Psalm 55)

As with so many of the psalms of David, this one begins with a cry of desperation to God. “Listen to my prayer, O God… my thoughts trouble me and I am distraught… my heart is in anguish within me, horror has overwhelmed me!” He goes on to complain of an enemy that “drops trouble on me.” (v.5)
Obviously David is in a bad place. We think perhaps King Saul had sent another army to bring him in or assassins to kill him. Whatever or whoever was oppressing him, David’s initial response is one we can all relate to: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest…” (v.6)

The surprise turn is in verse 13 when the enemy that threatens his life is “my companion, my familiar friend”. It was someone he went to church with that had betrayed him (v.14). It was someone with whom he shared some sort of covenant (v.20). David opines, “His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.” There is no wound as deep as the wound inflicted by a trusted friend. There is no offense that feels more impossible to forgive than the offense of a covenant companion.

So David feels the need to escape, but where can he run, or fly away, to escape the wound he carries in his heart? In the end he realizes that it is better to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you.” (v.22) And so it is with us; it is better to cast our cares on the Lord than to dream about flying away from our troubles and wounds. Peter echoes the psalm when he admonishes believers, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Does that mean the offender/betrayer gets off? David insists, “But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction…” (v.23) No one ever “gets off”. No one ever escapes the righteous judgment of God. Thanks be to God, in Christ there is redemption for even the worst kind of offender. As Christ followers, we are learning to cast our cares on Christ and look to him to heal our worst wounds. The healing of wounded heart is completed when forgiveness is freely given to the offender. So we must learn to pray for the redemption of our enemy rather than his destruction.

Waiting

Psalm 62:1 (NASB)
My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.  

Psalm 62:5 (NASB)

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.  

Waiting for anything or anyone anytime is difficult for our instant gratification culture of hurry. Why is it so difficult for us to wait? Could it be that we think we are too important, too busy, too vital to the rest of the world to waste time waiting? I’m guessing we’ve all had this thought while waiting in traffic: “Don’t these people know I’ve got to be someplace important to do something important? Why don’t they get out of my way?” It’s all too easy think we are the center of the universe, gods unto ourselves, and assume we deserve what we want, and right now! Whether it be waiting at a traffic light, in a line at the grocery store, or in the doctor’s waiting room, we’re just not good at waiting.

In Psalm 62: 1 & 5, one Hebrew word (dûmiyyâ) is translated “waits in silence” by the NASB. In some translations it is rendered either “silence” or “wait”. I think the NASB captures the fuller meaning of the word that carries the sense of waiting and being silent. To wait in silence for God is a good thing according to David. I would venture to say that such silent waiting is a spiritual discipline critical to an authentic relationship with God.

Waiting in silence teaches us…

• Patience, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit
• Humility, reminding us that we’re not in control or the center of the universe after all
• Love, sometimes waiting is a necessary expression of love
• To listen, sometimes is takes patience and time to hear someone’s heart
• To see, or at least see more than our non-stop life of sprinting from one thing to the next will allow. Waiting in silence in my backyard reveals a Cardinal and 3 Blue Jays I would have otherwise missed.
• Gratitude, it’s good to thank the Lord for the Cardinals and Jays and such

Of course, it’s God that David waits in silence to see and hear and feel. If our salvation and our hope come from the Lord God perhaps he is worth waiting for. God save us from this culture of hurry. Help us Father to learn to wait in silence for your presence.

"Who Am I?"

Someone only a few years older than me (I’m 55) had his first conversation with his wife about the “R-word”. For some retirement means graduation from the daily grind into a glorious new life of unbridled freedom. It means traveling in the RV, unlimited golf, visiting the grandkids whenever the mood strikes, finally having time to make that garden all it could be, napping in the middle of any day, reading books you always wanted to read, and maybe even volunteering in the church and community a bit. My friend, a pastor of over 30 years talked about none of those things related to his retirement. For him it was not a pleasant conversation. The burning question for him had nothing to do with retirement finances or the things he would be able to do. He confessed, “My whole purpose and identity is wrapped up in being a pastor. When I’m no longer a pastor the haunting question is: who am I?”

Most of us derive our self-image and identity from our career or some on-going significant contribution made to family or community. We like to be contributors. It feels good to make a difference. When the ability and/or opportunity to contribute is radically diminished because of aging or long-term illness or being laid-off we can suddenly face a serious identity crisis. The great German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer had such a crisis near the end of his life.

Still in his 30s, Bonhoeffer had become one of the world’s leading Christian theologians. He was a gifted writer, leader, and authentic pastor in a time and place that severely tried the hearts of all pastors. Imprisoned by the Nazis for speaking out and working against the evil regime of Hitler, Bonhoeffer suddenly found his opportunities to contribute radically diminished. He did what he could from a prison cell… wrote letters and encouraged fellow prisoners. But even the great Bonhoeffer had his moments when he struggled with that question: “Who am I?” In fact, a poem he wrote from Tegel Prison communicates well his inner struggle.

“Who Am I?”

By Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Who am I? They often tell me

I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a Squire from his country house.

Who am I? They often tell me

I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me

I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really that which other men tell of?

Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectations of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the Other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!

I find so much meaning and self-identity as a pastor, father, husband, son, brother, friend. By the grace of God I can still contribute. But in the end, when my ability and/or opportunity to contribute is severely diminished, I hope to be able to say as Bonhoeffer said, “Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!”

Expanding the Bridgehead

Expanding the Bridgehead

Last Wednesday I walked out of my office to go to lunch and there it was, as big as life, a six-foot high chain-link fence across the entire back half of the church property. With a fist pump and a little hop of joy I think I said out loud, “YES!” I was hoping our general contractor would have some physical sign of the on-set of construction on site before Easter Sunday. A dozer parked on the building site would have been enough; the fence with that big sign “Brath Inc.” was even better. Our biggest crowd of the year would see that things were happening at PCC! Then I walked around the west side of the building and noticed the fence had blocked about 14 parking places. So my second thought was, “Parking for Easter will be a disaster!” A quick call to the construction foreman remedied the situation. I was assured the fence would be pulled back to allow for parking on Easter.

After 4+ years of praying, planning, a capital campaign, and many unanticipated obstacles, construction has begun on the gym/education facility. The building will be an 18,000 sq. ft. structure that would include several very large classrooms, a full gym, a large student center, multi-purpose bistro area, and commercial size kitchen. It will open up all kinds of possibilities for new ministry as well as supporting the expansion of existing ministry. Four years ago our leadership team interviewed every ministry leader in conducting a thorough review of the present and future needs of the church and determined to build a ministry centered structure that would bless the entire community of Pflugerville/Hutto/Round Rock/ N. Austin.

Beyond the practical functionality of a gym and education center what does it mean for a church to purchase land and build buildings? I think N.T. Wright gets it right in his book Surprised By Hope when he writes, “Church buildings are not a retreat from the world but a bridgehead into the world, a way of claiming part of God-given space for his glory, against the day when the whole world will thrill to his praise.”

Obviously the kingdom of God is not limited to church buildings; His kingdom of grace and love penetrates every place His followers live and work and bear witness to Christ. But that little piece of land on Pfennig Lane is a place completely dedicated to His purpose. The psalmist writes: “For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. (Psalm 47:7) (NIV)

The day is coming when the entire world will sing His praise. Until then we continue to expand the spiritual and physical bridgehead He has given us in this land.