Which Saul will I be today?

This morning I have been reflecting on Sandy's message from this past weekend. She outlined for us two character sketches - King Saul of Israel and Saul(later became Paul) of the New Testament. Both received strategic appointments by God. Both experienced powerful anointing by the Spirit of God. Both walked in the favor of God. But one became a tragic character while the other modeled enduring faithfulness.

I am struck this morning with the opportunity I have today to walk in faithfulness to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Through grace found in Christ and the love of the Father there is also strategic appointment, anointing, and favor. Will I respond to God's love with faithful obedience? Or will I allow, as King Saul did, the concerns of this world to "choke out" God's blessings?

Any given day "concerns" bombard our lives, attempting to dismiss the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Let's name a few: jealousy, materialism, distractions, gossip, relational conflict, poor self-image, ego, misplaced trust, vanity, anxiety, depression, wasteful time, and ?

I would love to hear from you. What are other concerns that we allow to control our lives? Concerns will always be present on this side of eternity. But the faithful disciple of Christ does not allow the concerns to be the focal point. They are present but not domineering, identifiable but not destructive, and real but powerless in Christ.

My prayer today: May God be my strength and the hope of my life as I fully rely on Him for every aspect of my life. Amen.

Rob

Proverbs 22:1

My son, Miles, heard this verse from Scripture for the first time as he and I sat at our kitchen table.  The occasion might surprise you.

We had just received in the mail his "membership box" from the Washington Redskins Kids Club. He was so excited as we pulled out cards, a shirt, stickers, a coloring book, and a poster.  I was more interested in the letter from Coach Jim Zorn.

It is no secret that this season has been a disappointment for Coach Zorn.  He has endured countless scrutiny and verbal assault that typically accompanies a losing NFL season.  In addition, he had his "play-calling duties" stripped from him.  What a challenging sequence of events for such a successful person!

And in this context, Coach Zorn, included "Proverbs 22:1" next to his signature on the letter.  It reads, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Coach Zorn may be having a bad season for NFL standards, but he is facing his adversity with integrity.  True maturity is tested in the crucible of hardship.  My friend, Doug Middleton, used to tell me, "In the face of adversity, we automatically revert to that which we have been taught." Someone taught Coach Zorn what it means to stand steadfast when the storm comes because "in life, the storms do come (Jesus - end of Sermon on the Mount)!"

I am grateful that I had a teaching moment with my son because a Coach, who does not know Miles Rhoden, wrote Proverbs 22:1.  Thanks, Coach Zorn.

Rob

Beans

The road to Balan is quite dusty and bumpy but it is worth it.  Beans and rice were distributed to 2,000 people as they came swarming to our truck from their mud huts.  With empty pots and pans in hand, they formed a line and waited for their allotted portion of beans with some rice full of nutrients.  

Interestingly, many of the orphans came with us.  I was touched watching them have compassion on these people, considering them worse off than themselves.  They distributed beans with us as though they had plenty themselves.  Poor helping  the poor.  The irony of that moment hit me in a peculiar way.

Could I survive their lifestyle?  Maybe.  But deep down I feel guilty that I will soon be boarding a nice plane for home and comfort.  They will be out of sight.  My prayer tonight is that God will keep the hurting of this world (both in Richmond and beyond) close to my heart.

They are close to His.

Rob

Haiti

I'm in Haiti this week doing some follow up visitation with our partnership with New Hope Haiti Mission.  Last year our Advent Conspiracy money was invested here in both the orphanage they run and  the feeding ministry in Balan.

Spent all day today at the orphanage.  Once again I am reminded of our Call to care for the orphans of the world.  God has been stirring much in my heart through out the day.

Tomorrow we will drive to Balan and conduct a feeding.  I'm excited to see the work there.  We are partnering with the pastor of the only church in the village.

The opportunities in Richmond, Haiti, and the world are endless.  We can't get overwhelmed but simply make a difference in the one that is in front of us.

We need to continue as a church hanging out where Jesus would hang out.  "To whom much is given much is required."  That familiar saying is hitting home this week.

Rob

 

Life

We gathered last night at Park/Meadow to discuss life.  I left very motivated in my heart to be informed, convicted, and inspired in my personal efforts to value life.

Biblical instruction on life is pervasive through Scripture.  When we deviate from it, unthinkable expressions of evil are inflicted on innocent people.

So what am I going to do today?  I don't know yet.  I am still reflecting.  But I do know this:  I want to be a part of the solution not a passive spectator.

My father's mother got pregnant with him when she was 14 years old.  His father fled town the minute he found out his girlfriend was pregnant.  Today, in a society that embraces the disposal of unwanted life, she probably would have terminated the pregnancy.

Pretty scary implications.

Rob

Fish Wars

Oh, a fish is on the back of that car in front of me.  How special.  Must be a Christian.

Oh wait, that fish says "darwin" inside of it.  How rude.

What?  That big fish with "darwin" inside of it is eating the small Christian fish.  I'm mad.

Yeah!  The big fish with "truth" inside of it is now eating the small fish that has "darwin" inside.  Hip Hip Hooray!

I am so over fish wars on the back of cars.  Here is why:

1.  Quit supporting the economic machinery that simply wants your money.  They prey on the good hearts of people, convincing them to "take a stand," and laugh all the way to the bank.

2.  The "truth" crisis in our culture will not be resolved on the bumpers of our cars.  If anything, it only perpetuates the crisis and ensures there will never be a winner.

3.  Words and acts of obedience are the solution not a plastic symbol.

4.  Spend your money on study rather than the commercialization of religion.

5.  Maybe the reason North American "Believers" refuse to come to a weekly time of prayer together is because they are at home feeling good about the fish that is on their car?  Maybe that fish will penetrate darkness for us?

6.  Combat the truth crisis with intelligence not emotion; Spirit not flesh; conversation not angry words; conviction not memorized formulaic lines; and/or relationship not target practice.

7.  When was the last time you heard the following testimony:  "I was saw a "truth" fish eating a "darwin" fish and I stopped my car, got out, fell to my knees, and cried out to God for mercy."  

8.  One of the deceptions of the adversary of our souls is to convince us to embrace with resources and time that which makes no difference in the Kingdom and to avoid that which does.

Let's think, Church.

Rob

Pre-Nuptial Conversions

We live in a day that expects failure.  In preparation we hedge our lives to absorb the sting.  In fact, we value people who can actually anticipate all the variables and are rarely caught off guard.

And than Jesus steps into our world saying things like:

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

"What does it profit one to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul."

"Sell your belongings and give to the poor and than come follow me."

And we have only scratched the surface.

What makes us hedge our hearts with the Lord?  I guess it should not be a surprise that a culture obsessed with anticipating failure (and the protection from it) would also project that on the Lord.  We wonder if we can trust God's Word? God's plan? God's validity? God's economics? God's ethics? God's timing? God's judgment?

So we enter into a kind of "pre-nuptial conversion," hedging entire areas of our heart, time, resources, and talents.  And for what?  Fear?  Protection?  Anticipation of failure?  Yes. We fundamentally have a problem trusting and believing in the God presented to us in Holy Scripture.  We think our faith in Christ will probably fail at some point.  

My passion for us as a church family is that we would learn together to trust God.  This involves praying for one another, being a safe place for people to disclose feelings of distrust, keeping one another accountable, prioritizing our gatherings, challenging each other, rejoicing in testimonies, teaching one another, serving one another, and learning Godly dependence.

Togetherness has a way of producing collective results and power that are not experienced in isolation.  We have been given the gift of community.  Let's enjoy it and leverage it in becoming fully devoted disciples of Christ!

Let's walk together.

Rob

Love, Community, and Generosity

I have been pondering these three components of the Christian faith over the last 24 hours.

How is God challenging me through this talk?  What areas of change need to unfold in my life?

Today I am going to focus on love.  Of the three, this is the starting point for me.  If love is lacking in my life, all the other areas suffer.  Love is the motivator behind my Christian witness.

I know that love is not always a "felt" reality.  Jesus himself pleaded in the garden prior to his death, the ultimate expression of love, to have "this cup removed."  He, understandably so, did not "feel" like loving with such extreme suffrage.

My hope and prayer is that action will give birth to feelings.  Sometimes I think we wait around for a "spiritual" feeling to come over us before we act.  Too often the feeling never arrives.

In our "fallen nature" desires and feelings can deceive us.  Action is a way to express obedience and overcome the deception of sinful reality.  John says, "This is love:  that He laid down his life for us."

I want to love this way.  You?

Advent

"...He will be wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and prince of peace..."  The prophet Isaiah anticipated a Messiah that would possess all the ingredients necessary to permanently change lives.

Guidance (wonderful counselor) - He counsels us.

Power (mighty God) - He empowers us.

Trustworthy (everlasting Father) - He stays.

Pleasantness (prince of Peace) - He transforms our disposition.

Some people desire power without guidance.  They chase miracles while ignoring obedience. Jesus obeyed the Father and miracles flowed out of that relationship.

Some people desire peace without the other three.  Peace in the Lord often emerges on the other side of obedience.

Some people obey but deny the power of God to do the unexplainable today.  They walk in religion.

What ingredient is missing in your life?  Be courageous and name it.  Be prayerful and present it to the Lord for His help.  Be accountable and seek support from a close friend in the Lord.

God is doing some changing in me this Advent season.  You?

Rob

 

Last Night at Prayer

We heard a great devotional last night out of the book of Acts on an evening where we were praying for the nations.  It was such a moving time that Lisa Hampson, responding to the Holy Spirit's leading, got up and gave an invitation for response.  Many people came forward asking us to pray that God would empower them to speak "the Word of God boldly!"

I was touched as I joined others praying for these who today are at work, school, home, etc... May God give them the power to speak and the discernment to know the right timing!

Special thanks to Sharon Lewis and Rebecca Still and the International Students Missional Community for leading last night.  Great job!

We witnessed "mighty God" last night!

Anxiety and Panic

Many of you, via email, texts, calls, or in person, have touched base with me regarding my transparency this weekend.  My three year struggle with anxiety and panic 10 years ago was the most difficult time period of my life.  It was truly a "dark night of the soul."

For those who are struggling or have loved ones that are, please be encouraged.  God's sustaining power and love will preserve you.  God's grace of healing will come in due time and be perfect.   God's longer-term plan will unfold as you walk faithfully through this storm.

My testimony of God's mighty power for today is the memory I have of His work in my life from 1997 - 2000.

Be encouraged in the Lord today.

Rob

Resurrection Power and Believing

Resurrection Power and Believing

 

For John, the Gospel writer, believing is always an action, a verb – never a noun.  John encouraged a faithfulness to Christ that was always in motion.  You and I are to “go after” Christ because He came to us, and we have been found.  Our “going after” is the action of discipleship.  It is the adventure of our walk with the Lord. 

 

I am not suggesting that we “chase” or “race” after Jesus in an endlessly exhausting exercise that feels like a celestial treadmill.  To the contrary, we move to keep up with Jesus discovering purpose and rest along the way that He has ordained for us.  We “enter into His rest.” 

 

Wake up and get on the move, Church!  Jesus is on the go.  He teaches as we go with Him.  Will we follow?

 

 

 

 

Jesus Interruption

I entered Ellwood Coffee, as is my custom, this past Sunday morning.  The place had the normal buzz of activity – two people getting an early start on studying, one guy chasing his hangover with some bold Blanchard’s coffee, many others reading the Times, and of course the workers behind the counter.  Most pastor types have a similar, haunting question that floats through their minds every Sunday morning in contexts like this all over the world, “Why aren’t these folks interested in worshipping God this morning?” 

 

As I got my coffee and turned toward the door I saw her.  I had not noticed her at first among all the other “non-Believers” in the shop.  She was a nun dressed in her full sacred garment.  As my eyes continued to fix on here I noticed she was incredibly little and thin, was picking at a muffin, and reading Holy Scripture.  I was intrigued by the “Jesus Interruption” taking place before me.

 

I wonder how God chose to display himself through her on that day?  Let’s use our imagination for a minute.  The guy chasing his hangover with some strong coffee looks up and begins to notice her.  His head is pounding.  He is full of regret.  Why does he continue to turn to drink to dull his pain?  He is mesmerized by her and all her life represents.  She is fully devoted to God.  She has renounced the world and all it has to offer.  How does she do that?  Why did she do that?  Why haven’t I done that? She is at such peace. She never actually speaks to him.

 

He leaves and goes home.  As he plops down on the couch and reaches for the remote, he glances underneath the coffee table.  The stack of unused, dust-collecting books are in their usual position.  But this time one of them catches his eye – an old Bible given to him 14 years ago by a girl he briefly dated in college.  He reaches for it and opens to the first page.  The note from his old girlfriend simply reads, “Never thirst again! John 4:14”

 

With the dehydrated feel from the night before still in his mouth, he reads the words of Jesus, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  And for the first time in as long as he can remember, he brings to cry.  Not a little cry, but the kind of wailing that represents a long, overdue, repentant sob.  Each tear representing a previous act of defiance against a heavenly Father who deeply loves him.  When he finally gains composure, he is able to whisper through his salty tears, “I believe.” 

 

Jesus interrupts lives, and we are never the same again.  I wonder if we really believe that?  I mean REALLY believe it.  Only you can answer that question.  Only I can answer that question for me.  Last Sunday, a frail nun in the latter half of her life answered that question at Ellwood Coffee.

A Voice for Life

God is about life.  He spoke life into existence.  He resurrected Christ from death so that eternal life in Him may be a reality.  God has made life beautiful.  He breathes life into us.

We co-labor with God in being advocates for life.  This advocacy begins at conception and continues until a final breath is exhaled.  I invite us all to be voices for life.

I am going on a 24 hour retreat.  Will write more later this week.

Rob

Restoration

When God restores one's life, He does a thorough job.  We live in a culture that is unaccustomed to expecting thoroughness in any given task.  We tragically anticipate people to be sloppy, lazy, "un-attentive" to detail, or incompetent - a sad commentary on our culture.  It is even more troublesome when this kind of "lukewarmness" becomes pervasive in the Church.  But God is different as He "brings to completion the good work He begins in you and I (Phil 1)."

This past weekend we studied together the theme of restoration in the Minor Prophet Amos.  God concludes his message to the Northern Kingdom with a message of hope and restoration.  One of our points of emphasis was the thoroughness of God's restoring work.  We identified three implications within this point:

1. Begins with acknowledging one's need for restoration

2. It is a process

3. Celebrate each stage

Let me focus on #1.

I am praying today for those of you who feel embarrassed about being at Step One.  Perhaps you have been in and around the "Church" for years; however, you know more than you do.  Church is simply one component of your social network as you have lost a vision of the daily, transforming work of Jesus in your life. 

The reviving work of the Spirit begins with acknowledging one's need for restoration.  There is so much spiritual pride and arrogance in the Church.  The enemy of our souls uses this to deceive us into apathy and complacency.  But one, transparent moment of significant outcry to God can bring those walls tumbling down.  Show me a person sincerely acknowledging the need for restoration, and I will show you a city on the verge of a new spiritual awakening.  It begins in each one of our hearts.

Safe space is incredibly important for this type of confession.  If you are hesitant due to the circle of people in your life, you need to get a new circle.  The litmus test for any relationship is the ability to admit failures without fear of rejection or mockery.  May God create in us at Commonwealth Chapel an environment of safety for confession so that God's restoring work may begin in all of us.

Rob     

Restoration Story!

Check out the video below of Mark Barrett's baptism and story of God's restoring work in his life!

Rob

Amos - "But the Lord took me..."

Amos speaks these words to Amaziah in 7:15.  The verb "to take" here is the rich, Hebrew word, laqeck, which has a powerful history of usage in the Hebrew Scriptures (cite Genesis 2 "God took the rib;" Exodus 7 "Moses took the staff;" or Proverbs 22 & 24 "to take in instruction").  It has to do with transformation, the unexplainable, and/or life-altering instruction.

All of us need a moment when we can honestly declare as Amos did:  "But the Lord took me...."  To "be taken" in this way is too experience a kind of spiritual transaction that calibrates us to the heart of God.  When this occurs the following paradigm shifts can not be stopped:

1. Prayer becomes more about opportunity than obligation.

2. Scripture becomes more about inspiration than indoctrination.

3. Obedience becomes more about natural response than forced requirement.

4. Witness becomes more about conversation than confrontation.

5. Giving becomes more about generosity than guilt.

6. Serving becomes more about Calling than coercion.

7. Worship becomes more about passion than performance.

You will be "taken" by something.  The world and all its counterfeits are poised to deceive another heart.  But will you hear the Call of God today?  God whispers His intent into the hearts of all people.  He wants to "take" you.

Rob

 

Reject: Reflecting on Last Night

I am sitting in the quietness of my study this morning thinking about last night (Saturday night Worship).  I believe God's Spirit was working in a lot of hearts.  I know my heart was being stirred.  Specifically, I was asking God to give me consistent boldness in the face of rejection.  It's easy to be bold while I am preaching or sitting in my study.  But I want to be bold in the world where it counts!  Oh God, help me to know when to speak or listen, correct or encourage, pray or preach, and prophesy or admonish. 

I am off now for some morning coffee and to get my heart prepared for this morning at the National.  I am praying for a fresh sense of God's anointing.  How is God stirring your heart this morning with regard to rejection?

Rob

Seeking this Week

I have been reflecting a lot this week on the continual dimension of seeking that I taught on last weekend.  Every day presents an entire new opportunity to seek the Lord.  His mercies are truly new every morning!

Here are some additional thoughts:

1.  The "tug" of our sinful nature gradually decreases and the "pull" of the Spirit of the Lord increases as we seek Him continually.  "Chip away" at it daily.

2.  There is no such thing as a small victory.  Every moment of being more than a conqueror in Christ is big and should be celebrated.  Do not let anyone convince you differently.

3.  Our seeking is intended to be adventurous with surprises around every corner.  Life in Christ is never boring.  It can be dangerous at times.  It is often challenging and not for the light of heart.  But seeking does not equal boredom.  Seek the Lord with zeal today in whatever context you find yourself.  Pray for someone.  Share your faith verbally.  Help someone.  I guarantee "boredom" will not be a part of your reality.

4.  Decide today to Seek.  Quit waiting for some magical moment to catapult you into passionate living for Jesus.  Make it an act of your Will.  

Seek the Lord.  Seek the Good.  Don't seek idols, faith gone astray, or material things.  These will pass away.  Recognize the continual, mysterious, and holistic dimensions of seeking.

Would love to hear from you.  How are you seeking this week?

Rob

Seek Amos 5

I am starting this blog so we can be in dialogue about the sermon from the previous week.  I want to be able to post comments about how I am personally applying the message to my life.  I would also love to hear from you regarding comments, questions, etc....  I am going out of town right now.  Will write some more later this week.

Rob

Welcome to The Echo

This blog will be a outlet for reflections and conversation coming out of the community life of Commonwealth Chapel. Check back here often and feel free to join the conversation by posting comments and tweeting posts.