Coming to the Still Waters

     A good Monday is a day that I can start to look at the next Sunday.  I used to marvel at preachers who could just take one phrase and create a sermon around it.  It seems I started out needing whole chapters and books to get enough material for a sermon.  Lately, the phrases have started jumping out at me.  This morning the phrase was in verse 3, "...and their corrosion will be evidence against you..."  In chapter 5 the corrosion is our unhealthy place of trust on our money.  Going backwards, in chapter 4 the corrosion is speaking evil of the brotherhood and planning without God.  Back further, in chapter 3 the corrosion is an uncontrollable tongue.  Chapter 2, the corrosion is showing partially.  And back to chapter 1, the corrosion is solving our trials our way through falling to temptation and just hearing the Word and not doing it.  James has been building on this theme of the things that get in our way of worship...

     Another great morning with God's family, with our visitors this morning we had over 150.  I think James 4 was the most challenging so far in this series.  I am going to start reading a book called "War of Words" by Paul David Tripp.  He starts off with Proverbs 18:21: "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit-- you choose." Another version puts it this way: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."      I want to honor the Lord with my words and I know that is only possible if I continue to keep my heart on the love of the Lord.  I think it was also challenging to look at the difference of speaking evil of someone and when God uses us to bring the Word of God to a brother or sister, speaking the truth in love.  Side by side there is no comparison but in reality it is so easy to go from good intentions that should be acted on to loose words to yourself and o...

     So my life is upside down right now but I am overwhelmed by the love and support of others.  I have been on the other side of this equation most of my life.  The blog has had over 550 hits and some from Canada and the United Kingdom. Stephanie and I are humbled to be in your prayers.      This is the weekend before the "big" game.  A weekend without football for 6 hours on a Sunday.  I know I will spend part of that time with a group of good friends pouring over Galatians 4.  Paul says some interesting words in verses 13 and 14: "You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus."      So Paul had some type of ailment that put him in a place to get some relief and while there he continued to preach the gospel.  His condition must have had ...

     I know that this is an avenue to get out about my cancer but I don't want to stop the process of collecting my thoughts.  So here goes.  About 20 years ago I took a group of men from the church down to some Promise Keeper events at the Pontiac Silverdome.  That started the need to gather the men of the churches I have been involved in on a regular basis.  It started in the conference room on the upper level in the back of the Glen's store in Alpena.  For 20 years I have gotten up early to grow in the Lord together with others.  I have seen a lot of guys come and go over that time.  Sometimes it was an all out organized Bible study; sometimes just a time of prayer over one of the guys going through a trial of life; sometimes just a time to shoot the breeze; but lately it has been a time to bounce off my sermon ideas.  Even though this is a great medium, the personal touch and interaction still trumps it.      ...

     James 4 has brought up some interesting study.  First, "the quarrels and fights among you."  Those are usually worse than you think even though we try to minimize them.  The source is simpler than you think because it is coming from within you.  The solution is easier than you think because the solution that James gives is that we need to humble ourselves before the Lord.  Any sincere resolution is specific and brief.  Beware of lengthy resolutions that usually include explaining it away or excusing some of the behavior.      As I have seen before, the words are a sign of the heart.  I read this week that if we have a critical heart we usually start by speaking evil of another to ourselves.  Then we progress to speaking evil of another to that person with a running tally in our heads of all their wrongs.  Finally, we speak evil of another to others and broadcast in a way that we are thinking that we are h...

     "It could be c..."  and you know exactly what they are talking about.  So I have a trial to go through that I wasn't expecting.  It was a long day yesterday but I am thankful for today.  I have walked with so many through this that I probably didn't react much to the possible news.  I am sure the doctor gave us the worse case scenario so that when more results came back it would seem better.  So today is a day to get up and keep going.  I'm going to keep praying and probably do some research along with way but God has given us a people to shepherd and messages to preach and teach so my focus is on my God.      Some sermon prep on James 4 brings up a closer look at the progression of words.  James starts out with words like fights and quarrels among the brethren and ends up with words like murder and adultery.  What is James telling us here about the unresolved disagreements we get in?    ...

     So devices are needed to keep our tongue in control.  Devices that help us with our conversations but it really is a heart matter.  It is so important to go to the heart of the matter and to ask the Lord to transform where those words and thoughts are coming from.  Sunday ended for me with a Bible Study that I really thought was going to flop.  Galatians 3 is a hard passage to discuss and understand in a group situation and I think we would have had a time with it a year ago but last night the group dug in to get it.  God is good.      So yesterday also was a day to expose myself to the congregation.  I have done this before and it was needed.  I will go in for a test at the hospital this week to find out what is going on with my digestive system.  I keep going back to James 1 and the admonishment to "count it all joy."  I am thankful for those who took time to hold me up in prayer yesterday and will this...

     Well, my Sunday morning prep is almost done.  I have had the chance to have the church building to myself to do a run through and am looking forward to the gathering of the saints.  There is an anticipation that I have always had for Sundays and I have always wanted others to have that.  I finally feel that it is happening in the church I am apart of.  Sunday is becoming more a stable part of of our spiritual growth.  I hear it more in our conversations and see people making decisions based on that congregational times together.  So I feel there are more of us getting ready for our time with God together.      I have been trying to slow down the days.  It seems like 2010 just flew by.  Is there anyway I can make 2011 seem a little longer or myself recognize more the events in a lasting way.  Maybe I could not look out so far so that my focus is on what is happening today.  I don't know if this will w...

     That is a quote I heard from a story that Paul Tripp tells about his uncle in a drunken state and his mom's response to some comments made by him.  How we make excuses for what we say.  How we say, "ya but," and try to justify it.  How we need to take what we say and even if we admit that it is wrong, we need to go back to the source and ask God to change that.        Here are some powerful verses on this subject. Matthew 12:36, 37 - "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  --Jesus-- Ecclesiastes 5:2 - "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore let your words be few." Proverbs 6:16-19 - "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him:  haught...

     So what has Adam been reading lately?  Well, let me tell you.  There is a book called "The Unity Factor" by Larry W. Osborne that I am reading again for the 3rd or 4th time.  It is about developing a healthy church leadership team.  The first chapter deals with making unity a priority.  The point that really struck me this time was this, "The third reason developing board unity remains at the top of my list is that it's fragile."  Larry goes on to say, "I don't think it's an accident that Jesus predicted church growth but prayed for unity."  A wrong word, a wrong tone, a discussion that leads away from Christ, a wrong motivation, even a wrong person on the leadership team can change the unity factor quickly.  Ephesians 4:3 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."        So what websites are Adam's favorites?  Well, let me tell you. The ones that I go to the...

     This week is James 3 and so you start reading the chapter and praying for something to jump out at you.  I am so thankful that James gives us built in outlines and illustrations.  Sometimes I try too hard to dream up something when that something is already there.  James 3 gives us the horse, the ship, and the fire and relate them all to the tongue.  A horse that needs a bit to control it.  A ship that needs a rudder to steer it.  A fire needs oversight or it can quickly get out of control.  Now throw in the tongue into all those illustrations.  Are there conversations where you need to say "whoa?"  Are there conversations that need to be steered in another direction?  Are there conversations that you are thankful for friends who help you put out that conversation that could easily get out of control?        I was able to put myself in a totally different worship experience than I am used to. ...

     So James 2 is in the books.  Service this morning was a great experience with worship going from one aspect to another in the service.  James is so to the point when it comes to how we should be as followers of Christ.  It is interesting to read the book and remember this is the half-brother of Jesus and see His words laced throughout it.  I am thankful that today during the service and also the evening Bible study that the evidence that we are going together in Christ is being seen and also the individual growth of our congregation is becoming apparent.      So James 3 starts tomorrow and I know what is ahead of me.  The tongue!!!  Lord help me to use mine to honor and glory You.  Lord, I confess to those times that it hasn't been, please forgive me and set my heart on a course to love You with the action of my tongue. Adam

     Well in a night a lot can change.  That is so true with life in general.  A lot can change overnight with our health, with relationships, with the economy, and with our outlook on life.  We live in this world of change that you can never be totally prepared for except in one area, your eternity and that is only because of the love of a God who sent His Son Jesus to take our place on a cross meant for sinners.  Thank You again today God for that act of agape love.      I realized this morning walking through my sermon that James the Just is giving us a fuller definition of faith.  Faith for some was just saying the prayer.  Faith for others was a mental exercise of agreeing that there is a God.  Faith for another group was the amount of what could be done for the good to outweigh the bad.  James comes along and questions all those positions.  Faith is words of confession that Jesus is the Lord Jesus Christ...

     Wow, the day just flies by and it is already after 10 p.m.  It was a full day with sermon preparation, wood stacking, bulletin preparation, church set-up, and miscellaneous errands around town.  Sound like an exciting day?  It is a good day when I feel I have the sermon pretty nailed down and the possibility of doing a run through to hear how it sounds.      Something that amazed me this week is something that has amazed me for awhile.  When my wife plays the piano or keyboard I am just amazed at the ability that has been given to her.  She is able to make the keys come alive and full of sound that makes me stop to just listen.  I know the whole story and how she prayed that God would help her to learn how to play in a way that would help people to worship and He did that and continues to do so.  I think God also helped her to help others to increase in their skill to play an instrument to the glory of God.  I...

     I have lived in a homeowners' association for the past 10 years and each year at the annual meeting they are looking for board members.  I felt like I should contribute since I am a full-timer out here so I became the secretary of the group.  So I put all the computer skills and internet knowledge together to built a database of the emails of those in the association.  I didn't realize I would now have a 3rd family to communicate with, my family, the church family, and now the homeowners' association family.  I guess it is a good way to know your neighbors and I probably would not have communicated with them except through this mode.      Sometimes we just want to run and hide.  I feel this way too.  It usually means that a vacation should be coming up soon.  A down time when I don't have to think about the next sermon or the next meeting or the next anything for a little while.  I haven't taken a vacation in ...

     Chapter 1 ends with talking about "real" religion.  James gives us at least 3 here.  "Real" religion involves people who can control their tongue.  "Real" religion has people who have compassion for others in need.  "Real" religion has people who live holy lifestyles.      Chapter 2 starts with another aspect of "real" religion.  We are not to show partiality.  James tells us that when we assemble don't do this.  When we get together as a church, this kind of activity can not happen.  James also hits us between the eyes because his example that he would have picked because it related to his time, relates to our time, that we would be partial to those who have wealth.  We have equated wealth with God's blessing.  James sets us straight on this matter.  In our assembly, the pocketbook or lack of one should not dictate how we treat one another in the name of the Lord.      Another...

     Yesterday brought us down "our" hill on Mancelona Road.  April 26, 2006, my wife and 2 of our sons were in a head on accident because someone crossed over the center line to the other ditch and pulled back into their lane.  Yesterday we were standing pretty much in the same spot for a couple of hours.  Yesterday was snowy and the road was greasy as we proceeded down it to town to be the first upon a Suburban that had misjudged the conditions, spun all the way around, flipped on its side and was in the ditch pointed back up the hill.  Inside were 2 adults from Ohio, heading back home from a weekend at their trailer in Lakes of the North.  Also were 5 big dogs, one a great dane, and a large Macaw bird.  We piled 3 of the dogs into our car and the bird and waited for the police and the wrecker.  All were okay and we were thankful to God.      It is something to be the first on the scene.  We didn't see it happen ...

     Wow!  I am so thankful to God for services that just lift you up.  James is challenging us to be not just hearers but also doers.  Marry James 1 with Matthew 5:43-48 and you get Jesus' words to "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."  True maturity goes beyond just knowing something but actually way beyond.  Not just love but also pray for.  So when it rains on your parade of a life, how do you respond?  Is there maturity by Jesus' standards?        Also marry the thought James gives of us asking the Father for wisdom with Jesus' words in Matthew 7:7ff to "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."  If it is within us to give good gifts to our children and we are born ...

     I heard this phrase today along with another that if you connect a bit of Scripture with a bit of life, it will end up effecting all of your life.  This came up in my study of the book of James and specifically the verses dealing with not just being a hearer of the Word but also be a doer of the Word.  It is all about application.  I can't look at preaching the Word without giving steps of applying the Word.  It really is an incomplete sermon if I don't.      Many times I think it has to be big and many points and given cute aliteration that makes it snappy and I think easy to remember and fun to write down.  Reality is, if I would make it a bit of Scripture connected to a bit of life and just that it would probably accomplish much more.  How much time I spend on the opening statement and lame joke and research and introductions and how many points and the closing statement and so little time on connecting the bit of Sc...

     It might be a weird title but not everyday do we have to get out the snowblower two times in one day just to keep up but today was one of those days.  God has given us a replenishing of snow.      I also dropped off our third to head back to college.  The house is back down to three, my wife and I and our youngest, and many times it is just us two.  It sure can get quiet here but it is surely a refueling place for me.  This home is a sanctuary for my mind and spirit.  I do look forward to the day when we can pick up where we left off before the college years.  We have some projects that will be fun to do together.      Maybe next week will be a normal week for me with my "in my head" schedule of how the week is suppose to go.  I love the holidays and the special gatherings and services but there is something to say for a "normal" week.        Last thought today is also a tho...

     I hope I don't have "it".  I don't think anyone wants "it".  So I type from bed but really want to be rid of "it" so I can get on with life.  Maybe it is more prayer time and just "stop" time that I need but I sure wish my body would feel better too.  It sure is an amazing machine and I am more amazed at home it seems to repair itself when needed.      So here is the bones of my message on Sunday since I am stuck here. 1.  Every trial is a revelation of truth - it reveals where you are at. 2.  How far do you want to go with God - curious or serious? 3.  Pruning is a process needed for productive growth. 4.  Minister where there is no gain - the mirror shows your motives.      I think I will be going through the whole first chapter of James.  And I think I have decided to go through Galatians with the Sunday night group.        The pruning section reminded me of...

     Usually this is a over Thanksgiving break thing for me but I don't know what made me wait so long into the new year.  Every time I do this it makes me more productive and look at the ministry that goes on in this room differently.  I am so thankful that I have seen God work in the midst of conversations with friends around the office table.  Sometimes they are crisis situations and sometimes just looking for an ear to listen and maybe some biblical advice.      A clean desk does something to you.  I'm a piler and it is hard for me to throw stuff away.  And when I do, I usually throw too much away.  Anyone out there like me, say "Amen."  This year makes 25 years in the ministry and 15 years in Gaylord.  I don't look back at the early years as the glory days.  Every year has been special and I look to the ones to come to be no different with God at the helm doing His thing.  That makes each year exciti...

     So James says to put trials, those things that we all go through, in the joy category of your life.  What is God going to show me or teach me through this?  I get to see God is action and He will become even bigger in my life.  I have the opportunity to be Christ-like through a situation that is tough and it will give glory to God and I will be blessed by Him with a crown of life.      Then James switches gears and says to put temptations, those things that are evil and can lead us to sin, in the "don't point the finger at anyone but yourself" category of your life.  Wow, what a difference he makes between trials and temptations.  God will lead us through really tough times but God will not lead us into sin.  That is un-God like.  If we go the sin route, we are doing that all on our own.      So I could be going through a trial and decide to solve it in an un-godly way, it could lead to a temptation t...

     So 2 things I take away from this morning.  The "Lord Jesus Christ" and toothpaste.  The name in the center "Jesus" is who I am going to make a statement about.  The word at the end "Christ" describes who He is, the Messiah, the fulfillment of the all, the Savior of the world.  The word at the start "Lord" describes who He is to me.  When I can put all three together I am saying that the Jesus who is the answer is my answer.  He is my Lord, my Jesus, and my Christ.  It was also powerful for me to hear the congregation say those names and titles together.      So toothpaste and mustard and ketchup.  You squeeze the tube, you apply pressure and out comes the toothpaste, at least that is what you want to happen.  So when I am squeezed and pressured by the trials of life, what comes out of me?  Is it Christ-like?  It most likely will not if I don't look at the trial as an opportunity to be Christ-li...