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Wisdom Thoughts

One of the more fascinating areas of Scripture that I thoroughly enjoyed was looking at the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Typically, this involves Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. I think I enjoyed this unit so much because I didn't expect to enjoy it. I have always been one of those people who love the stories in Scripture and the character movement that takes place. Typically, I found the Psalms and Proverbs rather boring and would only ever really read the first chapters and last chapters of Job. That all changed and here is why...

I realized the path of learning practical wisdom in the Old Testament is a completely valid approach that helps to determine appropriate decisions. Add in the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom is heightened that much more (See 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 for more on the additional of the Holy Spirit to the process of Wisdom). The wisdom movement of the Old Testament is very simple and very practical, but I see very few people really dive into it. A wise person would do four things to come to a conclusion on any issue:
1. They would ponder the "good life" or as a Believe I ponder the "abundant life"
2. They would observe their own personal experiences
3. They would observe the experiences of others and the ages
4. They would make a conclusion

Understand that Proverbs is observational in nature. Many of the sayings are not absolute (although some are), but are observations using these four steps. Many Christians struggle with making decisions and determining the right thing to do when it isn't obvious in Scripture. Thus, this wisdom method is extremely helpful and when you throw the Holy Spirit on to that it makes it even better. To further elaborate I present to you this Scripture from Proverbs 26:

4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

To the some this, would appear as a complete contradiction of advice. However, if we use our experience, the experience of others and make a conclusion we see that this advice is solid. In some instances, it would have been foolish of me to answer a fool because I would have looked like a fool. In other instances, I needed to step up a put down the foolish words spoken. My thought is that, this passage of Scripture is perfect because it encourages us to use the power of observation to determine what should be done in the situation.
If we all spent a bit more time observing and seeking to make wise decisions, then I think we would find the benefit of doing so rather quickly. True wisdom is having the foresight not to rely on hindsight.

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Kingdom Conversation #1

I am beginning an episodic series called "Kingdom Conversation" in which different topics will be discussed and hopefully, new light will be shed on certain things. Pastor Jaman and myself have done this first one and will probably do more in the future, however, I would love to have any of you who would like to be a part of this to let me know. If there is something on your heart or something you would like to share, let me know and we can set a time to do that. I look forward to hearing your comments about this. Hope you are all having a great week and God bless!!

-PD

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To Every Season

It is the middle of June and it is rather warm and humid outside. For some people, this is an awful time of year regarding the weather. The bugs are out, everything feels sticky, you sweat all the time, and sunburns are all around. Even though, I know all those things take place, I still love summer. I love the smell of BBQs in the distance, the sun popping up early in the morning and not leaving until later in the evening, swimming pools, working outside, youth camps, and cruising in a vehicle with the windows down and the radio blasting. Ah yes, it is a good time to be alive! Summer is truly my favorite season. But some of you are really into autumn and I appreciate that. I love the smell of tailgating, watching football, hay rides, the color of the leaves. It's all good, not quit my favorite, but a good second spot for me. Probably the reason for its downgrade from summer is that autumn reminds me that winter is fast approaching.
Winter is the season I despise the most. It's cold all the time, when its not cold its cold and snowy. I don't like snow. The sun comes up late in the morning and goes to bed in the late afternoon. You are inside constantly unless you enjoy freezing. Slick roads and constant shoveling make people weary. As soon as winter comes I am already ready for spring.
And so now we have Spring, I enjoy spring. Things get warmer, the bugs aren't out yet, and it smells nice outside. For me though, I have allergies for approximately 2 months every Spring, and it rains a bit more than I would like. Additionally, you can go from a day in the 60s to a day in the 30s with the snap of the fingers.
Ah yes, I love summer best... and yet...
God gave us four seasons with blessings in each season. We must cherish the blessings and deal with the work that goes with the season. Fall means raking, Winter means shoveling, Spring means planting, and Summer means mowing. There are favorites that I am sure we all have, but we must learn to be content in whatever season we are currently in. Winter gives me such an appreciation of summer. Don't curse the season that you are in, rather embrace the good elements of that season.

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Overwhelmed

It is very interesting how God places things on our hearts, but doesn't necessarily remove the fear and/or stress involved. In fact, maybe if God has really laid something on our heart, it doesn't necessarily flow with the gift that is given. I'll use some aspects of my own life as an example...

1. Our church's mission is "willing to love; living to serve". I believe in it wholeheartedly and feel we need to reach out the the community regularly. However, these events stress me out more than anything. I think about them, worry about them, and always have a moment where I almost "break" because I can't stand the pressure anymore. But... I know we are called to do it, so I do it.

2. As a pastor it is my responsibility to build relationships with people. I do pretty good at this once I get to know somebody, but strangers absolutely terrify me. I always worry about what to say, how to say it, and feel that I am terrible at first impressions. I stressed out when I see someone in public that I kinda know, cause I don't know what to do. And yet, I know that I need to open up and be welcoming to those around me. It's what I am called to do.

3. I am terrified of memorization. I would dread having to recite memory verses or needing to memorize lines in a drama. Anything that requires me to memorize causes my gut to go into turmoil. I love preaching! And honestly, I memorize everything I say, but if I don't have the notes there then I become very nervous. I never did plays in high school or anything like that because the prospect of memorizing pages of lines sounded like a level of hell. And yet, for ministry's sake I have done quite a bit of memorizing, it's what I am called to do.

You know what areas of ministry don't make me nervous? Those areas that require little to no risk. Those areas that keep me from looking like a fool or making others feel like a fool. And yet... This is where I am called. It bothers me how many people I see never take risks because being comfortable is primary. If I rested in what was comfortable all the time, then I wouldn't be here in the first place. Consider this day if their is a risk worth taking because you feel called.

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Jaman's Rant

Let me warn you that I don't necessarily know if this is of God, but I think it might be and I want to talk about it more, so I am using this blog to work out my thoughts. I am going to list a bunch of different statements that float around in my mind and we will see if they come together somehow.

1. Jesus rebuked the the religious leaders way more than the worldly people.
2. If people aren't going to be led by the Holy Spirit, then at least use your brain and logically come to conclusions.
3. I cannot stand the hypocrisy of the two party system in the United States. Wrong is wrong and I wish believers would stand up and reject that which has the hint of being underhand or manipulative. Understand the correct side to be on is that which reflects Jesus Christ completely, not partly.
4. Believers should seek to unite with each other instead of tearing each other down.
5. Stop making generalizations based on your personal experiences, because you cannot stereotype entire groups to satisfy your need to be superior. You are biased because of your personal experiences and don't forget that.
6. Love people accurately, not to gain some selfish advantage.
7. Avoid foolish controversies or silly agendas that do nothing to express the Kingdom of God.

Think about some of those things, and let me know what you think or disagree with or even add to. thanks!

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Good Friday

As we celebrate the passion week, I find it difficult to really speak about much of anything. It's almost as if this week is set aside just to remember, not to add personally commentary, but to simply remember. So, as the sun shines down on us this Good Friday, let us simply remember that awful day that was also one of the best days.

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