Peace

In Just a few days, a new year will be upon us. This year has laid into it an expectation not unlike others in the past for many believe that the end of the world will come in 2012. I remember back to the turn of the century how many thought similarly yet little happened.

I am certain that this years resolutions will at least be given greater thought. I am hopeful that people will take their decisions with more weight and spend more of their lives on what really matters rather than what rusts or gets outdated. I know there will be many prayers and thoughts for peace.

Silence, tranquility, harmony is usually the utopian thought that comes to mind when we think of the word peace. And as nice as that is and those moments are, the peace God promises to give us is much more significant.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Jesus tells us that the peace He offers is not like anything we have experienced here on earth. It is not as the world gives. See what the world has to offer only lasts for a short time. It is circumstantial and only stays as long as people are committed to it. I guess that is why Jesus being called the “Prince of Peace” is so fitting.

A prince is a prince not by choice or by circumstance, but by birth. It is who he is not who he wants to be or hopes to become. No amount of money can buy the title and no amount of mistakes can take it away. He will never lose that status for the rest of his life. By virtue of being born into royalty he is a prince.

Jesus is the royal eternal prince of peace. So by just being around Jesus means His peace will never leave you. It may feel like harmony, silence or tranquility but it is so much more than that! The peace Jesus gives is an eternal peace that will always lift you out of the worst of situations and give you passion in the middle of the storm. His peace breeds a spiritual and emotional confidence that is unmatched and provides hope and possibility that transcends the limitations of this earth.

It never goes away, it never changes and just like royalty no amount of mistakes in your life can take it away. As long as Jesus is with you, you will have His peace He gives you. That’s pretty awesome and so I say bring on 2012!

Merry Christmas

This Christmas Eve we wanted to wish you all the very best from our family to yours. We know that God is in love with you and your family, for He sent His only son to be born two thousand years ago so you may know he is love. Celebrate His wonderful birth as if it was your own child, for that is what it means when it is said “UNTO US!”

(Isaiah 9:6-7) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.”

The Schindler family desires that you and your family will find the greatest joy of Christmas in Jesus, who is the bringer of joy to the entire world.

Merry Christmas!!!

A Father

Growing up in Colorado provides me many great memories. Memories of gazing out to thousands of stars on a clear dark night. Memories living out in the country, getting coal for the fireplace in 3 feet of snow. Walking home a mile through the wheat fields from my school. Strasburg Colorado was a great place to grow up.

We moved there from a suburb of Denver when I was in second grade. The reason we moved to a small country town was because of my father. See, it was my dad that had a vision of raising his family out in the country away from city life. So he set to doing what good fathers do, they make a way.

For a little over a year my father would take the hour long trip out to Strasburg each day to start the process of building our families new home. Sometimes we would stay the entire week or just for the weekend. I do remember him being gone a lot. Over that year he would lay the foundation of the home, dig the well, erect the frame of the house and install electrical, plumbing, drywall, fixtures, flooring ….you name it he did it with little help from outside contractors.

Being the age I was (about 6 years old) I don’t remember much, just that he was gone a lot. I do remember a few vague memories of me going out to help him build the house but I was so limited in what I could do, I most likely hurt the process more than helped.

Then the day came, the day we packed up our belongings and moved the family to Strasburg. That moved changed our lives and I believe was one of the best decisions my father made. Still, it was a great sacrifice and it also took its toll on the family. I remember hearing my dad and mom fight about this house and the move to Strasburg frequently.

Why did it take such a toll? Well because it’s a monumental task to build an entire single family home by yourself. Those extended trips meant he had to live in a small camping travel trailer and on those cold Colorado nights, away from his family, I know it was tough. Achieving this goal revealed his limits as an earthly father.

I as well as my dad and every other earthly father have limits. Some of those limits might have been destructive, others might have been circumstantial, but in the end as great as our dads were they failed us at some point. I think that is why at an early age I learned to look to my Everlasting Father. Where I felt my earthly father fell short, I would reach out to my Heavenly Father. He taught me things about life and about myself that I could have never learned being a spiritual orphan.

Spiritually many people let their earthly father experience to taint their heavenly father experience and the end result is a sea of spiritually orphaned individuals that know little to nothing about how much God loves them! They tend to carry little hope in their future and often wander around aimlessly, looking for meaning to each day. Instead God, our Heavenly Father, made a sacrifice that cost Him the Son but instead of showing His limits it showed that He is limitless as a father.

Because of that I encourage you to let down your guard and be received today into the arms of the Father. Will you say this prayer with me today?

“Heavenly Father I want to be received into your arms today as a loving father would care for his only child. I admit I have let my disappointments and pain of being a child of an earthly father separate me away from what love you desire to shower over me. Please forgive me of my sin and draw me close to you today. I want to know you more than I ever have before and not have anything stand between us. I confess Jesus as my savior and my Lord and in His sacrifice I am saved. Now I want to live as you planned long ago for me to live. Full of confidence that I have a wonderful father always taking care of me. In Jesus name---Amen!”

“…that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” (Galatians 4:5-7)

Power

I am always amazed at the confidence I have in myself and how many times I encounter moments that show my weakness. For example, right now I am finishing my basement and am making many trips to the home improvement store buying supplies and lumber. I am amazed how heavy those supplies get when you start to pile them up on your cart.

One 2x4, hey I can handle with ease. Add another and another, still no problem. But you start to pile up the wood and I start to sweat. Soon it’s too much for me to handle. So for me I am limited in my ability to move that lumber around. Sure I can build things, but one small piece at a time. Yet I remember days on the plains of Colorado watching a tornado tear up an entire field of corn and wheat in seconds. I have watched in amazement and horror the immediate and devastating effects of such a wind storm on a house. What I was too weak to accomplish and might take me an entire day a tornado could accomplish in a moment.

In the sight of spinning circular clouds and in the midst of clashing oceans waves I am reminded once again how small I am in my assumedly large and strong body.

The power of God is really and truly difficult to grasp. It helps me immensely to know that I have a God I serve that is so powerful that this is how He is described.

(Jeremiah 10:12) “It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.”

Its moments like these in my life that help me see and understand that I am very weak even in my strength. That I am very foolish even in my wisdom and I am very sinful even in my best righteous acts. I need a mighty God, a savior that is most capable, powerful Father. I need a mighty God!

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 26:4 to “trust in the Lord forever for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.” Rocks are pretty hard and make up some of the hardest elements on earth. But even a rock is not everlasting, it will also succumb to the will of the pounding water as erosion takes hold. Erosion is our weak moments and those weak moments are not to be hidden away but offered up to Jesus, the Mighty God who takes care of us in our greatest needs.

So, in your weak moments where do you go? What do you tend to do when things don’t work out?

How might you change that to rely on Jesus during those weak moments?

(Psalm 62:11) “One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard:“Power belongs to you, God.”

Unwanted Coffee

Flying to a business meeting one night I was tired and on my second leg. To keep myself productive and awake, I grabbed my favorite cup of joe, a caramel macchiato with extra caramel and whip cream on top. It’s a sugar coffee’s dream mix and a far cry from the bitter taste of a straight up black cup. It did it’s job, ½ way through the flight I was busy flipping virtual pages in my ipad reading my latest book.

In typical fashion the steward came by and asked if I wanted anything. Engrossed in my book and my headphones I waved him off, or so I thought! To my surprise he turned back to me a short time later and handed me a small, stout cup of coffee. I was unsure but took the drink anyway.

See I had failed to pull those silly white plugs from my ears to hear what he was saying. I thought he asked me if I “wanted anything to drink?” Instead I realized he asked if I “wanted coffee to drink?” My closed off nature of being engaged only in my world created a mis-communication in the middle of what I was convinced was clear communication.

So now I sit, plenty full of coffee and another one waiting for me to down it. I was very happy with my blonde type coffee caramel and all the sweet taste it offered, not to mention I was already high on caffeine. What do I do with this cup? Well one option was to just let it sit there, but that would be awkward when the steward comes back. Another would be just ask him to throw it away, but I was too prideful to do that. The final option, drink er down! And that’s what I did. Instead of desiring and enjoying, I just downed it to get the fluid out of the way so it did not accidently spill on my lap.

It was bitter, bold and full of my miss-communication. After 4 gulps I finished her off and proudly handed the steward my empty cup(s) when he came by. Then it hit me, I wonder how many times I have done this in my life to people. How many times I have been so engrossed in my life that I misfired in a routine conversation and as a result had to drink an unwanted cup of bitter relationship.

I noticed that I sure did not enjoy it. I noticed that I had only one thing on my mind, ME! I noticed that I failed to be human. I failed to be relational. All because I was too lazy and to confident that I understood what was going on but never took the time to pull one ear bud out to determine that I really did not.

How often have you drunk a bitter, bold cup of unwanted coffee?

A wonderful Counselor

“Wonderful Counselor” is one of the four names here describing the character of Jesus. But because we hear this every Christmas it may have lost some of its meaning. Hebrew, (the original language this verse was written in), actually describes an adviser, guide or counselor that is amazing beyond understanding or description. Today we hope to rediscover the meaning of this verse as we spend time with our “Wonderful Counselor.”

Over the years of being a pastor I have provided counsel to many situations. From personal to professional there is one common factor involved in a person getting better. Will that person listen and act on the counsel given them? You and I can be given the most accurate information possible but if we don’t act on it, that information is useless. The doctor tells you to stop eating doughnuts and instead each cheerios for breakfast is giving you great information, but come the next morning what makes the difference is what that person chooses to put in their mouth.

Jesus is our counselor for life and has equipped us with the Holy Spirit in order to live wisely.

• Read the following verses: John 14:16-20; John 16: 7-15

When Jesus left the earth, He sent his Spirit (a.k.a. The Holy Spirit) to continue as our Wonderful Counselor. So how do we receive this guidance, this advice, this counsel? God speaks to us different ways but most can be grouped into these 4 categories.

• The Bible

• Through our experiences

• Through others

• Through a still small voice ( 1 Kings 19:11-13)

These different way God speaks provides us many opportunities to get it right with what He desires for our lives. It’s wonderful to think that God cares for us so much that He finds different ways to communicate with us His life giving messages..

• Read these verses: Matthew 18:20; Luke 5:31-32; Isa 61:1

So He promises He will be with us and in that He will set us free. And this is really what it comes down to if we are ever going to find God’s life here on earth as He calls it a more “Abundant life” we need to listen to His counsel and do what He says we are to do. Take a few moments today and pray these life changing questions.

-Jesus, what one thing do you wish to change in me today? (Depression, hopelessness,

stress, materialism, financial issues, family tension, anger, loneliness, addiction,

your marriage, relationships, intimacy, fear, etc.)

-Jesus, What is keeping me from changing? (Be open to whatever He says)

-Jesus, what one thing can I do today to begin changing?

The Life of Church

What is the life of the church? In other words what is the very basic element that makes the Church an actual church? Is it the ministries we engage in on a weekly basis, such as LIFE groups, Sunday activities, or administration? Is it the name, the logo, the marketing? Is it the people that lead such as the pastors or elders? Is it those that attend services, activities and give money and call it tithing?

Well, I am certain you have a great answer to that question as do I, but is our personal opinions really what makes the church the church? For the past few years I have noticed that we seem to be becoming anything but the church. A coffee house, a concert, a children’s consortium, all things that typically come from preconceived notions of what we bring with us in church experience and or our conclusions as to what will be interesting to those around us and those are just the new things, lets not bring up the traditions we carry into church each week!

So to answer the question from my viewpoint I think the life if the church is actually what is not in the church to begin with. I believe the life blood of any church is the person(s) that are not attending. What I mean is that those that don’t know Jesus personally or maybe they do and have given up on experiencing who He really is in the context of other people. We call them unbelievers, the lost, seekers, visitors, new comers. You can name them whatever you wish, but bottom line is they are the life blood of a church.

When they come through the doors, people change. When they come to know Jesus for the first time, the atmosphere becomes electric. When they step into baptism and publicly commit their lives to Jesus those around them are ecstatic. I have seen one unbeliever light up a room of dead Christians faster than that “twinkling of an eye” thing.

Don’t believe me, put just one unbeliever in the middle of a bunch of believers and see what happens. Right or wrong, positive or negative there is energy in the room, there is vigor in the church when unbelievers show up!

So if I am right that those we tend to not care about are the answer to our own mission of existence then why are we not busy connecting, reaching and sharing with them? Why are we so tied up in our own lives? Maybe it’s because we never thought about church this way. Maybe it’s because we never realized that it is consumerism that keeps us from Christ. That sucks the life out of our churches while confusing us with personal growth.

Maybe it’s due to fear. Fear that we will lose what we so desperately love! What we love about church, or the American dream church is keeping a standard of “meism” that drives consumerism to higher points each week. Often it is that dream of our comfortable church life that it keeps us from connecting with those that will help us find our true lives in Jesus. Jesus told us in a hard bit of words that He has come to draw a line in those areas, that “…Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37-38)”

Difficult words to read and even more difficult to experience. See I realize that when I ask God for a vision for my life and truly want His vision then it will be followed up with a mission that I and ONLY I can fulfill through obedience to Him. On that path I have to learn what Jesus states six chapters later.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25)”

What are you placing in your life or in your “idea” of church is so important that it’s actually killing you?