Humility
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025
In my post yesterday, I repeated a discussion from Glynn Young’s Book #4 in the Dancing King series. I’ll repeat it here:
King Michael and Queen Sarah were talking about when life was simpler and that it seemed like it was just yesterday when he studying and preaching and she was expecting their first biological child. Michael laments that it seems so far away. The following is Sarah’s reply:
Sarah replies: “It was another life. Even if we don’t know what we’re doing, Mike, or what we should do, God does. The stuff that’s horrible or appalling or perplexing, He knows it. He has us both here for a reason, if we can’t fathom it and even if we want to be anywhere else but here. Mike, He’s ripping the lid off the sewer; it’s just hard to be one of the workers He sends in to clean out the pipes.” (p.222)
I wanted to comment more on what she said but word count put a limit on what I said. So I thought I would make a comment or two today. First, what prompted Michael and Sarah’s musing has been, unfortunately, headline true. The Church of England, of which Michael was an ordained priest, was having the lid blown off its sex abuse scandal-the coverup and moving around of pedophile priests who maimed over a thousand boys mentally and spiritually. That is a heavy weight for any to carry, especially a fictitious king and queen whose God-inspired and God-involved life had been radically interrupted, first by becoming king and queen of England; second, by the government’s inability to function; and third, by the exploding scandal involving the church.
God places people where He wants and needs them. Sometimes it is often unexpected. I know I have used the phrase “Who da thunk it?” when referring to circumstances that defy logic. A person who seems to be out of their element performing a feat that defies explanation. Sort of the like the unexpected athlete who becomes a superstar or a gold medal winner. God does not make mistakes at any time, and that is especially true when placing people where He needs them. Some are shepherds of people and some, like Sarah says, are used to clean out the filth. I am old enough to remember the Christian singer, the late Keith Green, who was vilified and misunderstood because he dared talk, write and sing about hypocrisy and deadness in the life of the church and individual followers of Christ. Some used the term “prophet” which I hesitate using. He was fiery like a prophet of the Old Testament and his “take no prisoners” approach sure was in your face, but there was no compromise acceptable to Keith. Nor should there be for us.
God has placed you; He has placed me, exactly where He wants us to be. And while we may not understand it all, He is not asking us to. He is simply asking us to trust His way and work and be obedient.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Church, Cleansing the church, God's Plan, Humility, Leadership, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Story
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
Unknown people are often the ones we need to learn about the most and take lessons from.
For example, Katherine Wright. Chances are pretty good you may know someone by that name. But not this Katherine. Recently one of the men in the church gave a communion thought on Katherine. You may be more familiar with her brothers-Orville and Wilbur-who invented, built, and flew the first successful airplane in the early 1900s. Because of their prominence many, perhaps most, have never heard of Katherine. Yet in their successful endeavor of building a “flying machine,” Katherine was vital to their success. While they concentrated on the details that brought them success, Katherine was quietly behind the scenes essential to their success. You may be thinking, “But I’ve never heard of her!” Exactly! That’s my point. She kept their bicycle shop going (her brother’s source of income), left her teaching job to nurse Orville back to health after a plane crash, and managed the details of their growing fame.
Katherine is a perfect example of someone who knows their role and fulfills it. Up front or behind the scenes, it takes all kinds of people to do essential things. In this case helping her brothers reset travel. (Do you think they envisioned air travel today back in their early days? I think not). Anyway, Katherine chose her spot and filled it with grace and service. We have people like that today who do just that. For every up front people who likes/desires the limelight, there is someone behind the scenes doing the camera work, the script writing, the sound board, the live stream, fixing communion (in a church setting), teaching a kid’s class while the adults are meeting, and a myriad of other tasks. My wife is one of those people. Every week she makes me look like I know what I’m doing by typing and showing the Power Point during my sermons. She has been doing this for more than the 19 years we have been here. She knows me like a glove and even when I mess up, she covers me.
She is just like the ONE we celebrate and remember this week as we head toward Resurrection Sunday. This week is often called Holy Week because it is the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. From His entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey to His crucifixion and resurrection one week later, His whole life was one of being a servant. He showed us how to a servant throughout His life; demonstrated it the night He washed the disciples’ feet; then willingly laid down His life on the cross. For all for us. We could ask for no greater example than Him.
Follow in His footsteps. Serve, even if it is in the shadows. “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
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Tags: Christian Living, Humility, Jesus, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Resurrection, Serving
Monday, April 14th, 2025
Start With Why. That is the name of a book by Simon Sinek that sits on my desk saying, “Read me! Read me!” 🙂 After reading multiple books on leadership for the first two months of the year, I needed to take a break. Sinek’s book was one that hit the “put off till later” batch. From the back cover are the following words: “Any person or organization can explain what they do; some can explain how they are different or better; but very few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not about money or profit-those are the results. WHY is the thing that inspires us and inspires those around us.”
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am rereading Glynn Young’s Dancing Priest series. I just finished Book #3 and have started #4. In Book #3 (known as the Dancing King) Michael Kent-Hughes has assumed the throne of England. But not before efforts were made by adversaries to thwart that happening. In Book #2 an almost successful attempt was made upon Michael’s life, as well as his pregnant wife, Sarah, and their unborn baby. We were introduced to Michael’s brother, Henry in Book #1 and saw him take a more active role in Michael’s life in Book #2. As part of what was known as The Violence where the attempt was made on Michael’s and Sarah’s lives, Henry life was also affected. In his effort to know more about his brother, Michael found out Henry had been a practicing homosexual but had taken part in a church’s Exodus Ministry. As Michael learned more, the priest of St. Margaret’s church said this to Michael: “The struggle became worse once the two of you had met. He found that, far from rejecting him, you had opened your arms to him. He described it something like this, that all of his adult life he had people who wanted him for his wealth, for his position, for what they thought they could get from him, or for his body, but that you, the brother he had forced away so many years ago, you wanted him simply for himself. At first, he found it hard to believe. Then you invited him to stay with you in San Francisco. And he discovered that you loved him with a heartfelt, brotherly love, and asked nothing of him other than to be with him.” (p.120)
All that to say: people know when we are with them to get something or to just be with them for them. The WHY question is huge. I guess I can’t really stop people from wanting something from me, but I can make sure my motives are pure when I am with others. It should not be for what can they give me or what I can get from them, but to simply enjoy their friendship and presence. I love being with people who want nothing from me but to my friend and visa versa.
How about you?
{There is more coming from Book #3 but you really ought to read the whole series} 🙂
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Tags: Christian Living, Friendship, Generosity, Humility, Kindness, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Motives, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Friday, April 4th, 2025
There used to be a show when I a kid called The Dating Game. It was a dumb show. They would have 3 men behind closed doors and one woman (sometimes visa versa) asking questions to see if they were compatible and which bachelor/bachlorette he/she would like to go on a date with. I guess in some ways that would be considered the ultimate comparison game.
My sermon Sunday is a comparison game- comparing King Saul and King David. It is actually a game of contrast as I contrast the two individuals and their ways of dealing with people and with God. It is my opinion that we would hard-pressed find two men who are more a contrast to each other than these two. From the very beginning there was something different about them. From their anointing to the choices they made, their attitude showed. Saul’s show his arrogance; David’s show his humility. Saul’s show his reliance on self; David’s show his willingness to submit to God’s plan.
I’m also excited that the group who took the trip to work in east Tennessee over spring break will be speaking about their trip. Expect about 15-20 minutes for live reports and also pictures of the area in which they worked and what they did. Join us Sunday morning at 9 or 10:45. If you are unable to be with us live, then please join us via our Facebook or YouTube channel. You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In. Or you can watch via YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you online.
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Tags: Christian Living, Humility, Leadership, Opinion, Reflection, Sermon Series, Story
Thursday, April 3rd, 2025
I have a habit of rereading some books, mostly fiction, especially when I need a break. Every day my mind is spent studying and reading books that challenge my thinking, add to my learning, or for use in sermon prep. So every once in awhile I like to read something totally not associated with my “serious” mindset. So I will often pick up a fiction book and read it again. I did that early this week. I picked up The Dancing Priest by Glynn Young. Glynn blogs at Fact, Fiction, Friends and I cannot tell you how long we have been reading each other’s blogs. The Dancing Priest is #1 in a 5-part series.
It is the story of Michael Kent, who through a series of events finds himself on the front page of TIME magazine and a Tour de France hero. He is also ordained into the Anglican Church as a priest. Glynn has weaved together a wonderful story that even a non-religious person would enjoy. Even though Michael is a fictional character, one begins to admire this young man and his passion for life. Grounded without being preachy, The Dancing Priest is a wonderful story of faith, hope, caring for others, putting other’s interests before your own, and being sensitive to those around us. Following his ordination, Michael finds our where his pastoral assignment is to be. (I will not tell you because that would be unfair if you have never read the book and decide you want to). Let me just say his heart is in Malawi, Africa and working with kids in an orphanage.
The day he learns his assignment, Michael was speaking with the archbishop of York. (I plead my ignorance on how this denomination works since it is foreign to me. But it really is irrelevant to this story). Anyway, the archbishop tells Michael something that is relevant for all churches. He says, “Michael, the future of our church is in grave doubt. If there is a future, then you and others like you are that future. It will be better for you to be on the periphery than at the center because the center is rotting and collapsing. The future of the church is at the edges, and there you’ll find a willingness to abandon what’s dead, to meet the spiritual needs, to fearlessly preach the gospel-that is our way of survival.” (p.163). A little later in the conversation Michael is told, “You are a remarkable young man. You will do great things, Michael. not as the world defines them, but great in the way God defines them.” (p.164)
The church is one generation away from extinction. If I was a younger pastor (and not 72 years old), I would “fight” to be part of the solution, not the problem. I would not want to be part of the collapse and rot but part of the building up and preservation of the truth. Yes, the story is about Michael Kent. But it is also about me…and you. Let’s be part of the resurgence not the decay of the church.
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Tags: Church, Fiction, God's Plan, Grace, Humility, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Tuesday, March 25th, 2025
Ask many office personnel what is their most dreaded time and they just might say, “The staff or office meeting.” Many feel as though it is like pulling teeth to go. In fact, many may prefer going to the dentist than to sit in a staff meeting. One word most often defines them: B.O.R.I.N.G.
Yesterday I was in an almost 3 hour staff meeting. There are three of us-myself, the youth pastor (Ryan), and the office manager excellente’, Diana. Every Monday morning unless an emergency takes one of us away, or one or two of us are gone, we have a planned staff meeting at 9:30ish. I use the “ish” because Ryan tends to run late on Mondays. But that’s okay. Sunday is usually an extra busy day for him due to youth activities. Back to my thought: we had our normally scheduled staff meeting that went extra long. I have to tell you that our staff meetings tend to be disjointed. We spend a few minutes catching up, then we have a devotional thought or watch a video (often from The Chosen since Ryan likes it), we pray for various people/circumstances and then Diana brings us up to date on “stuff.”
Yesterday was somewhat different for us. Ryan had taken 14 people to east Tennessee to help with flood relief from Hurricane Helene. Yes, I know that was several months ago but the pictures of the destruction of where they worked are stark. (I’m going to leave the area where they worked unnamed because I never heard of it before). They helped work on some houses- erecting walls, putting insulation in crawl spaces, shoveling and using a wheelbarrow to take gravel for a drainage system on a house. One of the men is a licensed plumber and he and his teenage daughter spent time at another house doing plumbing. A good section of our staff meeting was spent talking about the team, what they did, and looking at pictures of the area. To give you another perspective, these were teens and adults who gave up their lazy spring break to travel from Spencer to Elizabethton, TN to work for a week in mud, grunge and grime. They got sunburned on Tuesday and Wednesday and then froze their faces off and wore multiple layers on Thursday and Friday. All while sleeping on cots at night in a church building.
I am so proud of Ryan, his wife, Hope and the others who went. Those who went were complimented that they never complained, even though they spent hours in a crawl space hanging insulation. They were given tough jobs but they did it joyfully, never complaining. Ginger was certainly grateful for the house being built on a small lot given to her by her sister after everything she owned was washed away. So were the Fosters and others who had plumbing done after losing everything. Oh…I failed to mention that we partnered with a group called IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services), an organization from Noblesville, IN well worth looking into.
Well done group. Thank you for your servant’s heart.
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Tags: Christian Living, Humility, Jesus, Kindness, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Servant's Heart, Service, Story
Monday, March 10th, 2025
Remember when?
For a walk down nostalgia lane check out Alan Jackson’s song, Remember When, on YouTube. You can find it here.
Remember. That was the theme which weaved its way through my message yesterday. It was Moses’ swan song and he was reminding the people of Israel not to forget all that God had done for them. It was quite a long walk down memory lane but it was necessary. Here are his exact words: “Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God.” (Deut. 8:11-14 NLT)
Remember what and how you have been blessed and DON’T FORGET where it all came from. Those words could be said to us as well. In our arrogance and pride, we often take the attitude of “Look at what I have built. I’ve done well for myself.” It is like the story Jesus told of the man who looked at all he had acquired and built and said, “I’m going to tear down these barns and build bigger ones. Eat, drink and be merry.” The story goes on with the words, “Fool. Tonight your soul will be required of you.” That story is, sadly, the story of too many people. Gather. Build. Accumulate. Take credit. Forget where it all came from.
My challenge to you (and me) for this new week is to make a concerted effort to NOT forget where it all came from. Develop a grateful heart thanking God for His goodness and grace.
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Tags: Christian Living, God, Gratitude, Humility, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Thanksgiving
Thursday, March 6th, 2025
“Forgive as you have been forgiven.” We hear that quite often, more often than we might like! 🙂 But whether you are a Christ-follower or not, forgiveness is one of those non-negotiables that we all must face and need to do. Last night in my Wednesday Night Conversations class we talked about the common lie we hear: “I could never forgive that person.” I would like to share with you 6 common lies we will hear when it comes to forgiveness. The main thoughts come from 9 Common Lies Christians Believe by Shane Pruitt. The editorial comments are mine.
- Forgiveness means you have to forget. Think about the fallacy of this. Something bad has happened in the past or just happened to you. Does that mean you must forget what happened? There is a thing called PTSD that many military vets suffer from. I think many ordinary people do as well, especially when a traumatic event has happened.
- Forgiveness mean you have to be a doormat. Yeah…I’ll just let that person or others walk all over me. There comes a point where you must say, “Enough is enough.” Some relationships are toxic and need cut off.
- Forgiveness means you are condoning the actions of others. “If I forgive, am I saying that what they did is okay?” No. No. And No.
- Forgiveness means we will be close friends again. As if… In Psalm 41 David laments the betrayal of a friend. Sometimes keeping someone at a distance or arm’s length or even removing them from your life is necessary. Can you be friends again? Possibly. But very carefully and very slowly. Nobody in their right mind will just accept a person back into their lives like it once way. But sometimes…No.
- Forgiveness comes from an apology. Some people feel, “Hey, I said I was sorry. That should be enough.” Apologies are not always sincere. Some are said in the heat of the moment or to salve guilt.
- Forgiveness is easy. And you were born under what rock? Forgiveness is neither easy nor hard. It is impossible. It is natural for us to hold feelings of bitterness, hurt, anger (to name a few). Forgiving someone can only be supernatural. It comes from God. I can tell you this: refusing to forgive and holding these feelings in is not healthy spiritually or physically.
There you have it. The only question to ask is “How are you doing in the forgiveness department?”
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Forgiveness, Friendship, Grace, Humility, Kindness, Lifestyle, Love, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Story
Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
I have two thoughts on my mind this morning. I have toyed with writing about one and holding off on the other until clarity (and a calm spirit) comes. But I decided to divide this post into two parts and do them both. 🙂
My first is about the significance of today. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I grew up in a tradition that did not observe Lent. I can remember being in a high school class and noticing the teacher had a black smudge on his forehead. I almost went up and told him, but didn’t. Now I know it was the fact he went to a Catholic church that morning before school and the priest had “blessed” him. I didn’t know that until years later. Truthfully, I never really heard of it nor knew what it was all about until sometime within the last 19 years or so. I decided to study its history and significance to satisfy my own curiosity. I found out it began on Ash Wednesday and was observed during the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. For some it was a time of fasting and praying, of giving up something for the purpose of discipline. And as is typical, for others it was simply a religious observance you did “just because.” There were several years I quietly observed giving something up for that period of time-caffeine (no Diet Dr Pepper), chips, chocolate, even ice cream one year. For me, it was a discipline to be able to gain control over something that I needed to give up. Honestly, it snuck up on me this year. In spite of what were probably plenty of signs, I missed it until just two days ago. I haven’t decided what to do, if anything, this year. Guess I’ll contemplate that and then decide.
My second thought is on respect. Growing up my parents taught me the importance of valuing others. I learned to say, “Yes ma’m” and “No sir” and other terms used to show respect. I was taught how to open doors for women and to help older folks. I was taught to value other people and their opinions. I haven’t always done it right. I now realize that word I used about another race-despite the fact I grew up near Pittsburgh and had friends of that race and played on the same team as them-was wrong. I refuse to use that word today, even though I hear them use it about themselves all the time. I was always taught to respect my elders and to not speak over others, to give them their due. I did not watch the address President Trump gave last night. I get up at 3:30 and 9;00 is my bed time. Besides, I figure I can always read about it today and will hear plenty about it as well. While I was not a fan of the previous administration, especially due to their war against faith-based organizations and people (among other things), I had to remind myself I was to respect the office and the rulers. As a pastor, I refuse to invite politics into the pulpit. While I might preach on abortion or life (I consider that a moral issue not a political one), I still tried to handle it respectfully, realizing “more flies are caught by honey than vinegar” as they say. The antics and vitriol of some toward the previous administration were uncalled for, as were the antics and vitriol spewed last night and will be today and in the days to come toward the current administration. Will all things be done right? Of course not! Since when are humans infallible? But it’s time to calm the (vulgar) language (by the way: thanks for teaching our kids words they should not know or say). It’s also time for civil discourse, to listen to what the other is saying or trying to say. As my daughter, Tami, says to her kindergarten class: “it is time to put on your listening ears.” I might add that it is also time to clothespin the mouth.
I know what I have said might ruffle some feathers. Personally, Idc, and besides that, I’m tired of the hate and garbage that passes for speech. I once read that “Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind trying to express itself forcibly.” I’m tired of adults acting like spoiled-brat children. Try adulting for a change. That goes for all of us, not just the politicians.
Off soap box. Sorry this post has gone on so long. Thanks for listening.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Humility, Kindness, Leadership, Love, Mercy, Opinion, Reflection, Speech, Story
Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
One of the essentials of any leadership team is the element of trust. If the CEO or pastor or whatever title is given does not have the trust of those under his watch and care, the business/church/entity will go nowhere. Stagnation is the result. Likewise the other way. If the main leader cannot trust those under his watch to do what they are supposed to do and work as a team, the entity will falter.
I have been devouring books by Jon Gordon, Patrick Lencioni and James Hunter since the first of the year. I want to be the best leader I can be as the pastor of the church, but know there are some serious blanks in my abilities. Along with that, at the age of 72 I need to work on a succession plan (and have been). None of us will live forever-including Bryan Johnson, the centimillionaire tech entrepreneur who has that as his goal-so I need to have a plan in place. Frankly, I need to “shore up” my leadership skills to be better prepared to lead and to hand off my role here.
But the question which haunts me and should every leader (and maybe all of us to some extent) is Why? Why am I doing what I am doing? Patrick Lencioni has written a leadership fable called The Motive and I have yet to dive into Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why, but Lencioni writes, “At the fundamental level, there are only two motives that drive people to become a leader. First, they want to serve others. Two, they want to be rewarded.” (Edited for space-found on page 131) When you think about it those really are the two reasons why we do what we do. It comes down to this question: do I want to benefit someone else or do I want to benefit myself? Do I want to make another person’s life richer or do I want to promote myself to enrich the only one who matters…me?
I don’t want to belabor this point but want to simply ask one question: as you go through your day today, who are you looking out for? Whose life will be made richer by your presence and an interaction with you? You or another person? I was deeply moved by a book I would like to recommend to you on this topic: The Hard Hat by Jon Gordon. It set me back on my heels as it talked about a lasting legacy.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Church, Humility, Leadership, Ministry, Motive, Opinion, Reflection, Story
