Vacation Time! Guest Preacher - Peter Clay!

Hi all! Okay, so it's Wednesday of my first week of two weeks of vacation. It has yet to feel like I'm "away." I'm normally pretty good at setting up boundaries around my away time. But it hasn't worked out well yet this year. Phone calls, loose ends ... you know how it goes.

In two hours, however, I'm officially unplugging. I'm taking 2 of my daughters to a secluded campground where there is no cell phone service, no electricity, and I don't think anyone will find me. I hope. I plan to dangle my toes in the river, swim, eat smores and watch my kids have fun. They're too old to want to include me in the fun much, but I'll try. So...goodbye!!!

I'm extremely happy to have Peter Clay preaching while I'm away. Peter is a gifted artist (both musically and in other forms of art), and a wonderful preacher as well. Peter has served as a pastor in the past, but it is his journey as a father, husband and child of God that has grown his view of God's Word into a form of preaching that should not be missed. He brings out depth and insight that will inform and inspire you. I hope you'll come hear him preach the next 2 Sundays. You can find his scriptures and sermon titles on the main CHBC webpage. Until then, wish me God's speed in disconnecting for a time.

- Curtis

It's Not About You

2 Corinthians 2:1-10

Just a brief paragraph about this week's passage. Anyone who has had any kind of chronic pain – either physical, psychological or spiritual (etc) – has found solace or frustration in this passage where Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh. There are lots of theories as to what that thorn was, but no one really knows.

God's words to Paul were clear though: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” These are words that not only speak to the way we endure as individuals, but also point to a larger picture of which we are a part. God's power is revealed in our circumstances when, in our weakness, we submit to God's purposes and plans. There's a bigger picture, a larger plan involved - God's Story of redemption for the world. If we don't know that's what the story is about, or that we're part of that story, then we live in a state of constant frustration and confusion - which is the norm for so many people.

- Curtis

Poor You, Poor Me

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

If, today, you heard God say, "Let go" - what would you feel, deep in your heart, that he was telling you to let go of? Would it be to let go of some hurt; some resentment or anger? Let go of a behavior or addiction that holds you tight? Maybe Or to let go of a resource (financial or otherwise) for the benefit of others?

What does God want you to let go of?

In this 2 Corinthians passage Paul tells the church at Corinth to give their resources for the sake of the suffering believers in Jerusalem. Giving is more than letting go, but releasing is definitely part of what needs to take place. Letting go involves trust and that's part of what generosity is all about as well. Trusting God with whatever happens once we have released - whatever we let go of. And all of that doesn't even begin to address what happens when we release something for the benefit of others. That's another layer of blessing, of mystery. We'll dig into all of this on Sunday - and celebrate a great Baptism!

- Curtis

A Letter From Dad

That's my dad here to the right.  He was 18 yrs old, drafted into the US Army in 1942.  Sergeant Buthe served in Germany, helped free Dachau, was awarded a Bronze Star but never would tell us why. 

With Father's Day this week, it makes me stop and think about my dad who died more than eleven years ago.  One of the best things I ever did was to write him a letter not long before his body succumbed to cancer.   A friend suggested writing some of the things that were hard to say out loud to my dad.  Which, with him, was most things I wanted to say.  So I wrote him a letter thanking him for the good things I learned from him; for the blessings he had passed on to me and my children; and, in a sense, forgiving him for not being perfect.  I shared what I hoped life would still hold for him too as he grew closer to God.  As I said, it was one of the best things I could have done for dad.  I flew down to California when I found out the cancer was back, and gave him the letter.  He loved it.  He shared it with friends - men - who came to visit him - they told me later.  About a month after that, he collapsed in his entryway and died.  My mom found him when she came in from gardening.  

So write your dad a letter.  Don't make stuff up.  Be honest.  Be grateful for what he did well.  He'll like it better than a set of golfballs or a beer mug.   

This passage in John's letter, especially vs 12-14, is quite beautiful.  Think of it as a letter from dad.  Here it is:

I write to you, dear children, 
      because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 
 I write to you, fathers, 
      because you have known him who is from the beginning. 
   I write to you, young men, 
      because you have overcome the evil one. 
   I write to you, dear children, 
      because you have known the Father. 
 I write to you, fathers, 
      because you have known him who is from the beginning. 
   I write to you, young men, 
      because you are strong, 
      and the word of God lives in you, 
      and you have overcome the evil one. - 1 John 2:12-14

It's really more like poetry or a song with John repeating “I write to you children...young men...fathers” two times each.  The message will center on this interplay between John's instructions to “children,” “young men” and “fathers” - and what these words have to say to each of us about knowing God and our role in the Kingdom.  

And don't forget your letter to dad.

- Curtis

Hearing God's Frustrating, Wonderful Voice

1 Samuel 15-16
Samuel is one of the most curious of all bible guys. He's born destined to be a prophet. Talk about pressure. But he does it. Whatever God tells him, he does time after time, after time. Unlike most bible dudes, we see his life the whole way through, and even after death (1 Samuel 28).
In childhood he's humble, inquisitive and obedient. In adulthood he's courageous, sarcastic, blunt and exceedingly holy. He made peace and made war, forgave and condemned. There are few like him in all of scripture, who seem to follow God so completely. And yet his life is never easy, never simple, never what we would probably call "happy." I'm certain there was joy and laughter in his life that we are not shown - I think.

The thing that brings out a profound sense of awe in me as I read about Samuel, is the way he walked and talked with God all the time. Since he had the Spirit from birth - a prototype for how we are now meant to live in the Spirit - he walks and talks with God as few did.

Samuel: "Lord, I'm hungry. Don't have a dime for lunch. What now? "

God: "Take the next exit and turn right. There's a little BBQ place with a great tri-tip cut that I think you'll enjoy. Tell them I asked you to drop by. They'll understand."

That seems to be the kind of relationship they have. Curious. Wonderful. Frightening.
It's true that Samuel was a powerful prophet, but the more distinguishing characteristic of his life was the way he simply heard God; knew God. When I study Samuel I can't help but think God is saying, "This is how well I know you. This is the quality of friendship I want you to have with me."

How different life would be.

How about your life? What would this kind of intimacy with God mean for you?
- Curtis

Wind, Fire, Spirit! It's Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21

Christian Pentecost is truly the most under-celebrated holy-day of the year. Next to Jesus' return, it's what the whole ball-game was all about. It's the grand reversal of the Curse, the death of humankind when, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve drew back from God's Spirit with one act of betrayal. Finally, with Jesus' death and resurrection, the Spirit could return to each person who chooses to welcome him. The worst part of the Curse, separation from God's Spirit, ends. That's Pentecost! We should be dancing, yelling, setting off firecrackers and smacking high-fives till our hands bleed.

Perhaps we would blow the top off the place if we really paused to invite the Spirit in. So I ask you - how do you most long for the Spirit of the Living God to impact your life, your heart? What is there in your heart that is dormant, lost, forgotten - and that, if God were to infuse Spirit-power there, it would be exceedingly wonderful?

When I first came to know Jesus, I liked Keith Green stuff (there weren't many "Christian" music folks to choose from). He wrote a song about the Spirit. It makes a terrific prayer...

Rushing Wind

Keith Green

Rushing wind, blow through this temple,
Blowing out the dust within;
Come and breathe your breath upon me:
I've been born again.

Holy Spirit, I surrender; take me where you want to go.
Plant me by your living water,
Plant me deep so I can grow.

Jesus, you’re the one who sets my spirit free;
Use me, Lord; glorify your Holy Name through me.

Separate me from this world, Lord;
Sanctify my life for you.
Daily change me to your image,
Help me bear good fruit.

Ev'ry day you're drawing closer;
Trials come to test my faith.
But when all is said and done, Lord,
You know it's been worth the wait.

Jesus, you’re the one who set my spirit free;
Use me, Lord; glorify your Holy Name through me.

Rushing wind, blow through this temple,
Blowing out the dust within;
Come and breathe you breath upon me,
For I've been born again.

Grace to you,

Curtis

Branching Out

John 15:1-12

It hit me this week that I give a sermon that has something to do with planting or growing something each Spring. It's not intentional. It happens because I'm itching to get out in the dirt this time of year. About the only time of year that I miss California is in early April because planting season starts earlier there. Mid May has to suffice here, which only makes the expectation greater.

I started some cukes, zukes and tomatoes in my window a few weeks ago. Things were going well until critters attacked right there in the upstairs guestroom window. Little micro green worms went to town on my cucumbers. They hid under the leaves, then munched like jr high boys at Papa's Pizza. Despite my respect for life, I plucked them off by the dozens and disciplined them severely. They won't be back. But I'm not sure my prized plants will do well. They've lost valuable time and growth opportunity. I pinched off a few leaves and spoke kind words to them. We'll see what happens.

Jesus lived in a time when people were much more in touch with agrarian life and that background gave people a deeper understanding about what it means to rely upon God, and the slow process of growth. If they wanted a rutabaga, they'd have to wait til the right time of year (whenever that was) and maybe pay a visit to the family that grew rutabagas. We run to the store, and grab one instantly. Something good is lost with instant gratification.

In John 15 we're invited to get back in touch with a process of growth and finding our source of life in Christ. We'll study what "abiding," "pruning" and "fruit" mean - unless God takes us in a different direction.
- Curtis

Strong Medicine

Acts 3-4

Do you sometimes feel like you tip-toe around the topic of Jesus? Most of us do. Lots of things come into play. We don't want people to think we're a religious nut. There's enough of those around and who wants to fall in with that lot? Not that I'm judging, lest I be . . .well, anyway. And then we don't want to alienate people, or say the "wrong thing" or - you name it.

We tip-toe.

Not Peter.

After the resurrection this guy comes out with guns blaring, figuratively of course. No more hiding by the bonfire, denying Jesus. He's offending and alienating about everybody possible. Except those that he's saving with his sharp message. How is he able to be so insanely bold for Jesus? Why doesn't he care what happens to him? We'll dig into these questions this week.

Something to consider: Would you be willing to be as bold as Peter if you God said, "I'll do a miracle through you that will completely change someone's life and eternity"?

Blinded

2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Remember this scene from The Matrix? I think I used it a couple of years ago in a message, but it's time to dust it off and use it again. "The red pill or the blue pill?" The Red wakes Neo up to see reality; the Blue let's him stay blissfully ignorant of the Truth. He chooses Red.

We all have a choice to make - whether to continue with the belief system of this world or wake up and see the Truth. If only it was so simple and a one-time thing. In truth, it's a daily choice. Every ---- single ---- day. We choose.

Paul says that the "... god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel..." It makes me stop and think that, though there is of course an element of choice for each person, there is also the "god of this age" (Satan) who is working diligently to feed people the blue pill of blindness. We can't, therefore, be surprised at their hostility to the things of God; the people of God. Why would it be otherwise?

For the message, we'll dig into what it means to "shine in the darkness" and how we can do that in practical ways where we each live. Check out the question in the upper right corner - and chime in!
- Curtis
- CB

The Passion Week

Passion.
That's hubba, hubba stuff, right? What does that have to do with what Jesus went through during his last week? Turns out that our English word "passion" comes from the Greek word, pathos. Pathos, like many words, can have more than one meaning. One meaning referrs to something suffered, and in this sense the "passion of Jesus" refers to the suffering that he endured. Through the years passion morphed into the additional meaning of strong emotions - probably because enduring strong suffering involves strong emotions as well. And if Jesus was willing to suffer so much for us, he must have strong emotions, feelings, passions for us.

Things don't get a lot busier around the church than during Holy Week, Passion Week. There's the Good Friday service, the Egg Hunt on Saturday morning, and Easter festivities. It seems that there's always an extra need during the week as well. But for some reason I'm not feeling overwhelmed this time. It could be denial about all I still have to do; that's a strong possibility. Or maybe God has simply given me a bit of extra peace. I prefer that explanation.

For the sermon this Easter I decided to preach on the least popular account of Jesus' resurrection - Mark's. Mark's gospel ends in a very unsatisfying way. Like a movie ending that doesn't complete things as you wished. Gibson's Passion of the Christ captured this feeling very well, I thought. It leaves you wanting more, sensing that so much more must have happened - and why wasn't it conveyed better?!

In Mark 16, the women come to the tomb with their spice rack to freshen things up around the stinky tomb. But an angel disguised as a guy in white is there to greet them and he gives them the coolest news: "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." There's a bit more, but that's pretty much it. The part in our bibles that comes after this section was most likely added years or decades later by someone who wanted to complete the scene in a more satisfying way. It used to really bug me that we don't have more in Mark. But the truth is, we don't need more. And Mark must have ended it there for a very good reason. What was it? What do you think?
That's what we'll explore this Sunday for Easter. - Curtis
PS: NT Wright provides a scholarly look at resurrection in the 1st century. Go here if you dare!

Trendy Jesus?

Wow, the sun is coming out just in time for Palm Sunday. HOW-lay-LEW-yahhh!
The cold and rain has become way too trendy for me.
Trend: Noun. The general direction in which something tends to move. A general tendency or inclination.
The problem with a trend in this day of rapidly changing trends is that the moment something becomes trendy, it's likely not going to be a cool trend for long. The trend is at an end. At least for marketing and sales purposes. So marketing folks have to think of a way to keep trends fresh and new as they become more and more popular.
Jesus reached the pinnacle of his trendiness on Palm Sunday. From there it was all down hill, at least that's what it looked like. He fell off the trend scale faster than Rod Blagojevich; faster than the economy fell last Fall. And the amazing thing is, that's just what God had in mind. Again and again God pounds away at us with the same idea: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." Isaiah 55:8
If God's ways are so different, then what might it mean to the ways we live? Are we such creatures of trend and culture that we can't see the world differently? And if we can see things from God's view, what would that look like? That's what we'll chew on this Palm Sunday.
- Curtis

Achhhhooo

Kabooom.
Ten thousand droplets of snotty mist expelled at 40 miles per hour. Each droplet carrying a payload of millions of invisible rhinos. Rhino-viruses, actually, expelled from my body in a cataclysmic respiratory spasm - aka- a sneeze. That pretty well sums up my week since Tuesday night when this nasty thing hit. Look at the picture here. It's a rhino-virus, one of 200 likely viral culprits for the common cold. I never thought about it much, but I wonder if some guy with a microscope looked at this and saw the little horns poking out, and said, "Hmm. This little virus Looks like it has rhinoceros horns. Let's call it a rhino-virus." I bet that's really it. What if it had looked like dog poop? Something to think about . . .

As I'm lying in bed last night, dramatically tossing and turning back and forth, hacking up a lung and groaning for effect, Ana speaks words of comfort to me. Ana, my dear, dear wife, tells me, "It's really hard to feel very sorry for you when you already feel so sorry for yourself." Is there no pity left in the world today, I ask?

So the sermon this week is from a terrific passage - Ephesians 2 (you can click on the link at right here and go right to the passage). What occured to me this week is that sin and sickness have some things in common. These little rhino-virus jerks want to take me out of commission; sin wants the same. When they succeed for a time, I become ineffective in my life and I sort of disappear from the scene for awhile. And so it is with sin. As we are lulled away from our relationship with God into a self-focused, diseased mindset, we are taken out of "the game" that God has for us. We find that we are ineffective in our relationships, in our efforts, and the same sort of depression that happens when we're sick can take place.
I don't know how this will work in the message, but the passage is full of good news mostly. Paul encourages us with this:
God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions
Good news, healing is on the way.
- Curtis

Thank God for the Recession!

The recession really sucks. Especially if you are a victim of a foreclosure, a job loss, a business failure. If you have a retirement account, you're lucky if it's worth 65% what it was a year ago. It's getting hard to not let the current situation impact the way we feel about daily living.

But if we trust God; if we believe he is sovereign (in control) then we have to also trust that he has a purpose - or many purposes - in what's happening. There's something absolutely wonderful that he's doing, right now, as we say, "This sucks!" That's where Hope comes in. This week we look at Abraham, the Father of our faith and a guy with an amazing ability to hope, no matter what came his way.
- Curtis

Getting Out of Debt

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Joel 2:1-2; 12-14

(To read the strange dream I had last night - these are getting very common - jump down to the next post)
We're talking about a more important kind of debt than you might first think of. Debt to God. Today's passage from Paul is a beautiful bit of writing by Paul about what it looks like live as "ambassadors for reconciliation." The theme, though, is getting people reconciled to God - a good start for Lent, with the focus on repentance & forgiveness for this communion Sunday. It's rather amazing to think about what Paul was willing, even eager, to suffer if he could reconcile people to God. We don't even like being taken lightly. This guy was tough as nails. He knew what God created him for. He had purpose and drive.
But this Sunday we'll really be focusing more on the Joel 2 passage as we start the Lenten seasion. God says,
"Yet even now, return to me with all your heart - with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your garments. Return to the Lord your God for he is merciful and compassionate..."
Someone needs to bend that into a song. It's so beautiful, this idea of God waiting for us to return to him humbly, completely. Picture the broken prodigal son who comes to his senses, Jesus says, and turns back to home. The Father is at the door of his home, searching for the lost son. How long had the son been gone? How long had the father waited; scanning the horizon for his rebellious son? And when he sees him, he runs to the boy, lavishing undeserved love and forgiveness upon him. So it is for me. And you.

As Lent begins, it is good to consider ways that we've been prodigals. Take a look at your heart. Tear it open, no matter how vile and ugly it might feel inside. For God is compassionate and merciful.
- Curtis

Another Strange Dream

Waves

I had another weird dream last night. This has nothing to do with the sermon, by the way. I was in a high rise hotel near the beach. Someplace warm. I was all alone, maybe on the 15th floor or so. I was in the room with the sliding glass doors shut, looking out over the ocean. The little patio had a wind-shield going about half up made of plastic. I was thinking that it must get really windy sometimes, though it wasn't windy in my dream. This wasn't a place that was familiar to me and the dream just started as I've described. I wondered why I was there, but things changed quickly. As I looked out on the sea, I realized a huge, and I mean HUGE wave was heading in. The hotel was perched right on the ocean for some odd reason, so there was virutally no beach to cross. It slammed into the hotel, and the subsequent splash came all the way up to about 2 floors below me. I wondered what had happened to all those people beneath my floor. As the water receded, I saw plastic wind screens washing away. My room was on a corner; sort of an "L" in the building, so I could peer around my balcony and see people in the room next to me, which was set back a bit further than my room. I looked into their room and their door was wide open; they were laying on top of their covers on the bed watching TV. They seemed oblivious to the sea. Just as I was doing my peeping-tom thing, another wave hit and it was much bigger. It crashed into my window, almost breaking it. My neighbors were not so lucky. The top of this towering wave washed into their room and slapped them right off the bed. One of them was swept out the door.
At that moment, Ana awakened me. Now this is where I'm strange - I love creepy dreams. I hate waking up before they conclude. I tried to go back to sleep for a minute, but that hardly ever works.
So is this about life right now? The economy? Making waves somehow? Hmmm...
- Curtis

Wanted: Dream Interpreters

It's Tuesday and I'm getting ready to leave my mom's house in Mountain View California for Davis. It's pouring rain here, by the way. Sunny California - right!

I spent the day yesterday with Amanda - driving around town to get things that she normally can't lug back to her dorm room without a car. We trekked through Target, Costco and finally landed at an Army surplus store to look for some good work gloves. Over Spring break she's going to Honduras as part of a first-ever SCU trip with the Water Brigade. They'll be working on a clean water project in Honduras. It was a good day to spend together. I've very proud of Amanda.

Today, after taking Amanda and a friend out to lunch, I'll be driving to Davis to see my friend Carl Linvill who works with an economic and environmental "think tank" in Sacramento. It's a good thing someone is thinking about stuff like that. Carl and I have been friends since 1971 and both went to college together; independently became Christians within a week of each other during college; and were in each others weddings. So it will be good to catch up.

So last night the "pastor dreams" started to kick in again. I don't remember a lot of details, but I was traipsing through a thick brush in my dreams. I may have been hacking through high grass with a machete, with a 3rd person view of myself. Then, right in the middle of this brush hacking, I realized that I was overwhelmed with one thought: What is the sermon about this week? What will the "points" be? I kid you not. Not only one sermon preoccupied my thoughts, but two. For some reason I had two sermons to prepare, and both were imminently due. There was a vague sense of a bible passage lingering in the dream, but it felt like I didn't know what I was going to say. As I write these words, I seem to have a memory of the same kind of thing happening last year when I was heading back home. It's not that hard to figure out what the dream was about, but what do you suppose the thick brush and hacking through it represents? The passage? Ministry? My relationship with God? Hmmm. Pipe in with your deep thoughts! May God fill your moments this week with his presence and grace.
- Curtis

My Trip South

(If you're looking for the JOKE I did not tell to start last week's sermon, it's the next post below this one...)


(Above is s short video/slideshow of my drive - nothing much!)

I'm finally getting around to starting a little journal of my trip to San Diego on this, day 3 of the National Pastor's Conference. Last year I brought my little mini-laptop along, but the power cord unexpectedly croaked a couple of days before I made this trip, so I lugged my mac mini and a separate full sized screen along instead. During the first session of the conference I discovered that some rather egocentric fellow pastors didn't seem to appreciate my understandable need to drag extension cords across their laps to power my computer, monitor and printer. They should have been thankful I brought my flat screen monitor instead of the old clunker. Of course you know I'm not serious, but I do miss my laptop. Having to set up shop in my motel room is significantly less fun than typing away whenever I feel like it to share what's going on here.

The other difference this year is that I decided to stay at different hotel which is about a mile and a half from the conference. After a couple of years at Super 8, I was ready for a change. I heard one comedian say once that they should call "Super 8" something else - like maybe "OK 5." I couldn't agree more. The extra distance is worth it and I packed my bike into the back of my car so I could bike to the conference and not pay their silly $12 a day parking fee. I have a fridge and even a little stove so I'm made most meals here in the room. A bit isolating, but cheap!

But let's back up a bit. I started my trek down last Sunday after church - at least that's what I was planning. But I was in slow motion and very tired. I didn't end up leaving town until late that afternoon after packing and laundry and a bunch of other stuff. When I got on the road I found I was so tired that I only made it to Ashland, where I stayed the night. When I awoke, the surrounding mountains were blanketed in snow. The highway was a little icey and covered with more gravel than I have ever seen on a road. The rest of the drive was, in a word, LONG. I amused myself with podcasts I had loaded onto my iPod. And there was plenty of time to think about all of the things I should have finished before leaving town, but didn't. Twelve hours later, on Monday night, I arrived here in San Diego. Since then I've been one of about 2000 pastors, most of whom alternate between looking happy to be here or like zombies from the Living Dead. I wonder which I seem to be.

What Goes On At a Pastor's Conference?
I suspect that nothing could sound more boring to some of you than attending a Pastors' Conference. No doubt you are correct - for you. But for us pastor-types, these things can really be quite enthralling. Check out some of the seminar titles for instance (just a few examples of dozens that are offered):

* When the Buck Stops Here: Dealing with the Loneliness of Leadership
* How to Deal with Demanding People without Losing Your Sanity
* Celluloid Spirituality
* Church on the Couch: Does the Church Need Therapy?
* Organic Outreach for Ordinary Churches: Growing an Evangelistic Vision that is Natural, Contagious, and Compelling
* How Green is God?
* The Coming Crisis of Church PCF (Potluck Casserole Flu) - Why Your Church Is At Risk (Ok, I made that one up...)

Now, don't you wish you were here too? NO? Well, for pastors this stuff is ambrosia.

I won't bore you more with the talks I have attended, the books I've picked up or such minutia. But it's been good. It's especially nice to not have responsibility for leading anything at all this week; to sit back and drink in good teaching, tremendous worship, thoughtful new ideas, and simply rest and think about what God is up to and how we are to be a part of it. I always come home with ideas for our church which are sure to cause an uproar for some.
Last night I got to talk to one of my preaching heroes - Will Willimon. He's a guy in his 60's who spent most of his career teaching students at Duke University and he's written 60(!) books. I think he's one of the finest pure preachers of the last 50 years. A gifted man who can weave God's word into a message that touches your mind and heart. He remains the only man I've ever known who delivered an entire sermon on circumcision. Now he's a Methodist Bishop - a "ecclesiastical bureaucrat" as he describes it. He gave a message that I dare say he would not give anywhere else but in front of a group of pastors. Afterwards I waited to speak with him and was impressed by his kindness and genuine spirit. It was a good time.

Other speakers have included Bill Hybels, Shane Claiborne, Rob Bell and Dr. Chris Wright (who speaks with a very intelligent sounding Irish accent).

So CHBC folks, thank you for this chance to learn new things and to get some time away. It didn't hit me until yesterday that I was so exhausted before coming here. I felt like I was in a fog for a couple of days and just started to wake up.

Tomorrow afternoon (Friday) the conference ends and I'll be driving to see my brother in Seal Beach (South of LA). This weekend with him is the one time a year when get hang out together alone. Then I'll head up to see my mom and Amanda for a day or two, and do some planning as well.

I'll try to update this journal again before the end of the weekend. May God bless you with time for recharging too.
Grace & Peace,
Curtis

The Joke

Last Sunday I planned to start the message with the joke below. But it didn't happen that way. It was Scout Sunday and so we had some great guests with us and I didn't want to offend any of them. Especially the kids - and the parents who might have to answer some "interesting" questions. The point of the joke is in the addendum at the end.
----
A priest, a pastor and a rabbi walk into a bar to share a drink and talk shop. Shop for guys like this is preaching, and one of them makes the comment that preaching to people isn’t really all that hard. Well, they have a few rounds, and so they decide to do an experiment. They each agree to go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.



The next day back in the bar, they share their stories. Father Flannery is bandaged head to toe and on crutches. He reports, “When I found my bear, I read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear just started slapping me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him, and bless me, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is going out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.”



Reverend Billy spoke next from his wheelchair, one arm and both legs in casts. In his best fire-and-brimstone style he claims, “Well brothers, you know we don’t sprinkle anything. But I found me a barr and read to him from God’s Holy Word! But that barr wanted nothing to do with me. So I took hold of him and we began to wrassle. We wrassled up one hill and down another until we came to a crick. So I quick dunked him and baptized his hairy soul! And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus and I signed him up for New Members class."

They both looked down at Rabbi Goldstein who was in pretty bad shape — an IV drip, full body cast and he’d been wheeled in, in a hospital bed. The rabbi sighed in pain and reflected, “Looking back on it, I probably shouldn’t have started with circumcision.”

The Point of Telling It
Okay, so there it is. I was preaching on "gray areas" and wanted to kick off with a story that was a gray area all it's own.
What part of that story made some of your cringe the most? Religious leaders in a bar? Having a drink, and then tossing back a few? Clergy bragging and holding a preaching contest? Religious stereotypes? A punch line about circumcision?
That's all there is to it! I think I made the right decision by leaving it out that Sunday. I know Ana was relieved!

Care About the World

Care, Learn, Open Your Mind to What God is Doing

It's easy to get tunnel vision, selfish vision. Fight that tendency in a practical and very simple way - come learn from the Chetti's in worship this week. Daniel and Sarah Chetti are our missionaries to Lebanon. They will be with us this week, January 18th, in worship at Cedar Hills Baptist. Daniel is a wonderful speaker with an up-close and fascinating perspective of the situation in the Middle East. His ministry directly involves relationships with people of Islamic faith, and he has an understanding of Palestinian issues and the many challenges to peace in the Holy Land. How does a Baptist seminary respond to the needs of Christians in the Arab world? What can we do to support peace? How do we pray for peace and for believers and unbelievers in the Middle East? These and other questions (yours) will be explored on Sunday - don't miss it!

We'll have two opportunities to learn from Daniel and Sarah - in worship at 10:30 AM and then at a question and answer "Share a Dish" lunch following worship in the Fellowship Hall.

To prepare for our time with the Chetti's, check out info about the Chetti's and the nation where they serve - Lebanon.

Go HERE for a BBC country profile on Lebanon.

Go HERE for the Chetti's online International Ministry page with lots of info about them.

Go HERE for "Link TV" News broadcast from the Middle East - from both Israel and Palestinian sources.

Here's a map of Israel with the Gaza Strip at the bottom and a bit of Lebanon with Beirut at the top. Click on it to enlarge.


- Curtis

WWJHUB?

When people start to think about becoming a Christian, many have a specific fear that God is going to wipe away their unique personality or identity. After all, we tell people "Jesus will make you a whole new person." Or, "You'll be like Christ." What does that mean? What does it look like? Do we really want to totally lose ourselves and become exactly like Jesus -- and is that what it means to be a Christian? Is there nothing good about us that God wants to keep?

These are good questions. And Paul said things like, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me...the old has gone, the new has come."

This week's passage from John 1:43-51 gives us a peek at the "calling" of two relatively unknown apostles, Philip and Nathanael. We don't know a lot about these guys because they are not often mentioned in the rest of the book of John. Early Church history legends say that, after Jesus' death and resurrection, Nate and Phil traveled abroad to share Jesus' good news and were finally killed for their faith. So, chances are they remained followers. But were they exactly like Jesus? Nope.
How then does God work in you and me? Thats' what we'll delve into this week.

You'll also note a theme popping up in the message this week that we'll start developing through Lent and Easter - the Heart. Having a new Heart is at the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. No matter how I try to do things right and keep the "rules" of the faith, I can't. I need a change of heart. That's the key for a disciple, I'm convinced. This week I started listening to a daily podcast that's simply some guy with a raspy voice reading the Proverbs. Over and over Proverbs talks about Wisdom, God and having a new Heart. Ezekiel 36:26. More on that later. I hope your new year is off to a meaningful start.
- Curtis