Pastor's Blog

He does whatever a spider can…

You’re probably familiar with Spider-Man from Marvel Comics. It’s the story of a teenage boy infected by the bite of a radioactive spider and given phenomenal powers. There’s times as a child that I wished I was Spider-Man being able to crawl up walls and swing through my neighborhood. There’s a pivotal point in his story though that happens soon after he gains his new-found powers. It’s just after he gets scammed by the promoter at a winner-take-all wrestling match where he should have received the prize winnings. Instead he gets taken advantage of and on his way out he has an opportunity to stop a thief who’s just stolen the prize winnings from the promoter. All he had to do was trip him or bump him just enough to slow him down so that security could catch up. Instead he allows him to pass by, uncontested. When asked why, his usual response in the retelling is; ‘why, it’s not my problem.’ Unfortunately it does become his problem when later that same thief ends up mugging his beloved Uncle Ben and ends up killing him in the process.

In the Bible there’s a story of a high priest named Eli who had two scoundrels as sons. Both Hophni and Phineas took advantage of the people coming to the temple in terrible ways. The troubling part is that Eli new about and did nothing. In 1 Samuel 4:13 the Lord says to Samuel that Eli “failed to restrain them.” As a result Israel ended up losing their prized possession the Ark of the Covenant as well as their High Priest.

How do we handle situations when we know someone is doing something wrong. It could be harmful or not but in either case we know that it’s just wrong. In our culture today it’s easy to not say anything and be like Peter Parker and reply, ‘ ‘It’s not my problem.’ Unfortunately there’s a fear that has gripped our culture regarding taking a stand on difficult issues, especially anything that might be labeled moral or sinful. But what' happens when we don’t?

In the book of proverbs it says;

Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. Proverbs 25:26 (NIV)

When those that know what’s right say nothing it’s as if they allow those with dirty feet to swim in their drinking water. When we choose to be silent, we surrender. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if, Peter Parker stopped that burglar? Uncle Ben would probably still be around. What if Eli had restrained or put an end to his son’s terrible behavior? Israel would have never lost the Ark. What if today you spoke out? Who knows the impact that you could have.

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Of Mice and Men

Ever have one of those pivotal moments in your life on which the very outcome of your destiny hung in the balance? Mine centered around the high dive at the local civic center pool. It was around the summer of ‘79 and I ventured down to the local watering hole with my friends to stave off the onslaught of the dog days of summer. As usual a line had begun to form at both the low and the high dives as fellow adventurers looked for ways to add a little excitement to our aquatic escapades. The low dive was usually reserved for those that wanted a quick splash or perfect the mechanics of their cannonball, can-opener or coffin to achieve maximum splash radius. For the most part I had always confined myself with that happy end of the pool, yet as many can attest to there comes a time when the machismo of every young man is tested. Would I be brave enough to tackle the high dive?

Now a couple of notes should be highlighted at this point. There was the standing rule handed down through the ages from lifeguard to lifeguard that once a swimmer begins his ascent up the slippery cold steel of the ladder there was no turning back. Failure to follow through could slow the whole procession to a crawl and have adverse effects on the tanning process. Also those that made it onto the actual diving board and had a change of heart opened themselves up for public ridicule and would be forever branded for the rest of their lives, or until the pool closed, whichever came first.

So this fateful summer I found myself standing in line for the high dive. I’m not quite sure why I stayed in the line, but before I knew it I found myself staring the the polished chrome rungs of the ladder. The next few moments are a blur as for some reason I found myself climbing up the ladder, passing through dense cloud cover as I went. There, once I had sufficient clearance from air traffic control, I approached the end of the board to prepare for my descent.

In the span of mere seconds I began to calculate the various outcomes of my life. I wondered how loud the sound would be if I should happen hit the water with a belly flop. Would they be able to identify my remains? Would I be able to have children of my own some day? Is water going to go up my nose and leave me with that incredibly painful burning sensation throughout my sinus cavities?

Have you ever had one of those moments?

The Bible tells this story of this man called Peter who faced a water challenge of his own. In the Gospel of Matthew in the 14th chapter as his little fishing boat floated out on the water, Peter looked across and saw a man walking on top of the water as if it was dry land. It just so happened to be Jesus. Then Peter did something that I don’t think he was even really ready for. "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." (Matthew 14:28 NIV)

I understand that walking on water (no ice does not count) is a pretty incredible act. Recently as I’ve gone over this text I find more amazement in that Peter opened himself up to the unknown. If Peter hadn’t of said anything there is the possibility that Jesus would have just continued to come along and eventually enter the boat to sit with them. They would be amazed and the Gospels would continue on. But … he did say something.

I find it easy to stay at the low dive of life. It’s easy and comfortable and the line moves along nicely. Is that what I want? Every now and then I find myself glancing over at the high dive and wonder. What if? Maybe it’s time for all of us to open ourselves to the unknown. What if we looked across the open water that is before us and said.."Lord, if it's you tell me to come to you on the water."

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Driving Along in my Automobile...

I found myself in a peculiar situation the other day. I was out at a meeting when I received a call that a member in my church was taken to the hospital. Still being new to the area I had only been to this hospital once before and had no idea how to get to it from the meeting I was at. The funny thing is no one else new exactly where I was at either. When I called around I could get general directions on where to go but nothing definitive. Fortunately I have a GPS program on my phone so I entered my destination and took off blindly following the directions the digitized voice told me. It didn’t strike me until I was totally turned around in my head that I was at the complete mercy of this device. If my battery ran out or if it decided to crash I’d have no clue where I was at, where I was going or even how to get back home again. All of sudden my driving went from relaxed confidence to stressed concern. I wasn’t even sure that I was going to reach my destination.

Life can often get confusing. We find ourselves going one way and then there’s a change in plans and we have to adjust accordingly. Without faith, the “driving” of our life can all of sudden become stressed and anxious. Instead of enjoying the ride we become more confused because we don’t know where we’re going and if we’re even going the right way.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith , not by sight. (NKJV) Practically for me that means I’ve put the direction of my life into the hands of God. I really don’t know what around the next bend, but I trust in God that He knows what’s best for me. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be times that I’m clueless of where I’m at or where I’m going. What I find though is a greater peace knowing that I don’t have to. God will never run out of batteries or have a system malfunction. He is more concerned that I’ll reach my destination than I am. I simply have to trust him and enjoy the ride.

P.S. I made it safe and sound.

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A Healthy Lawn

Written by Pastor Wade
Friday, 22 May 2009 19:11
As I look across the lawns of my neighborhood you can’t but help to notice the occasional dandelion sprouting up. As a flower they freely decorate plush green landscapes, but their momentary beauty hides a more sinister plot. The manifesto for the dandelion empire is quite simple. This weed’s goal is to take over the world, if not my lawn. I have to actively weed and tend to my lawn to make sure that their vile seeds don’t take over. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, Read more... Add new comment

A Personal Conversation

If you’re like me the thrill of going to the mailbox every day has lost its luster. As a child there was always this little hope that I might get something in the mail. Even when I moved in to my very first house there was the excitment of finding mail for me at my house. Now it’s a matter of weeding through all the impersonal appeals and the vague promises that the junk mail can offer. I still enjoy the personal correspondence though. Sometimes the mail’s too slow, so I chat with friends by phone or through email and texting. Even then nothing beats a personal conversation. For me the more important the messsage the more “in person” I want to be.

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Pastor Wade