“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
-Jesus of Nazareth
I get along with my neighbors pretty well. There’s a large family with a lot of teenagers that live next door to me, very nice people. The kids offer to help out pretty regularly whether we’re moving furniture or having a cookout. The guys at the end of the block had us over to their new roof deck our first night in the new house. Mr. Swan let me borrow his water hose a week or two ago. A few folks from across the alley came to our housewarming last weekend and brought wine.
I don’t have a gate on the back of my fence, and I don’t want one. But there’s that person who has their dog poop in my backyard, and trust me, it’s not accidental. I realized this morning that what I thought was a popped front bike tire due to the heat was actually someone letting the air out of both tires.
I didn’t do anything to you. We dropped off cookies to everyone on the block and invited you to a cookout. We’re quiet and respectful.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
-Jesus of Nazareth
Today, or now yesterday, I suppose, was my sabbath, the first one I’ve had in a couple of weeks. Usually I observe it religiously (pun intended), but my day off last week was filled with enough errands to be anything but restful.
It’s my busy season at work. Small group registrations are due, which means helping leaders register their groups, reviewing leadership applications, meeting new leaders to discuss the leadership covenant, and producing the Atlas, our catalog of small groups.
I’d be lying if I said I work as hard or as long as some others on staff at NCC or in our congregation, not to mention that I love what I do. But it is a busy time nonetheless, a time of long days and working weekends.
Today was not a good day to take off, not a good day to ignore my e-mail. Doing so means that there are likely some groups submitted late that won’t be listed in the Atlas. It means that there will probably be a pile of e-mail waiting for me in the morning. It means that I may be working late again tomorrow.
Yet all of that made today a very good day to take off. Today was a day to read Scripture, to read books, to write, to have dinner with my wife, and to play with my friends. Today was a day to refresh and recharge so that when I face the pile of work that will undoubtedly be waiting for me in the morning, I’ll have the spiritual, physical, and emotional energy to perform well.
God created us to observe sabbath, to take one day each week when we cease doing what is necessary to do what is most beneficial. Sabbath is not an archaic ritual but a gift. It keeps our priorities straight, our egos in check, our bodies healthy, and our souls fed.
I want to be known.
The chief end of man, of all creation, is to glorify God, to make Him known.
My chief end is often to glorify myself, to make myself known.
God, crucify my pride, my self-importance, my greed, that I might serve you. May my joy be found in your glory, not my own. May people see not me but you.
Last night I was laying in bed and asking God for a deeper relationship with Him or for Him to use me more or something like that. I don’t even remember what exactly, but I felt something inside me ask how badly I wanted it. Did I want it badly enough to set my alarm just a little bit earlier, to wake up in time to spend some time with the Lord?
This morning I got just a little less sleep and spent a little more time in the Word. I’m a little more tired but a little more fed. What are you willing to give up for that which is most important to you?
I think there are some lessons that God has been trying to teach me over the past few months, namely, to trust Him and stop trying to control everything and consequently to have peace and joy in the midst of stressful circumstances.
Unfortunately, these were lessons that I did not learn. Buying our house was certainly a stressful ordeal. Things weren’t as smooth as I would have liked. Near the end of the process I realized that God was probably trying to teach me not to worry, to trust Him, and yet even after I realized this, I still worried, I still got stressed, and I failed to trust.
Sometimes I’m so dense.
The 50th day after Easter is called Pentecost. The 10 days leading up to Pentecost make up the Pentecost season, marking the period between Jesus’ ascension into Heaven and the day when Jesus’ followers received the Holy Spirit.
We’re approaching the day of Pentecost and are in the middle of a sermon series called “Miracles” here at NCC, so it seemed appropriate that we pray that God would move in a powerful way, much as he did at the first Pentecost.
Consequently, we are doing a 10 day fast, praying and believing that God will do great things.
I’ve decided to fast a few things, each symbolic of the things I’m believing God for.
I’ve given up alcohol as I pray for my brother’s health. He’s had some stomach problems for a while now. I’m praying for total healing. (Alcohol = not super-great for your stomach)
I’ve given up coffee as I continue to pray and believe for another place in the marketplace for NCC. (Coffee = something I drink at work)
I’ve put myself on a strict diabetic-friendly diet as I pray that God would heal me of diabetes. Note that I manage my diabetes well, but I usually do this through extra insulin rather than proper diet.
I’ve given up searching for a home as I pray and trust God that He will provide the right place. This is perhaps the most difficult fast I’ve ever done. There’s always the idea that something great could come on the market and disappear during the 10 days I’ve stopped looking.
There you have it. There are a few other things, but they are either overly-personal or not mine to share publicly.
If you’re interested in doing a Pentecost fast, it’s not too late. We’re only a day-and-a-half in. Join us in fasting and believing that God will glorify himself through miracles that only He can do.
God acts when His people have faith, and sometimes we have to act on that faith.
I’m believing that God will provide NCC with a new building where we can serve Him, and earlier today Rachel and I took a step of faith and made a small donation to help pay for the property that NCC wants to buy. It wasn’t much, but it was an expression of faith that God will come through.
Why did we do it? Why did we do it today? Because I’m believing that this will happen tomorrow. Again, I could be wrong. I could be completely wrong. God could have totally different plans, but tomorrow I finish seven days of circling and praying for that property, and just like he did at Jericho, I believe that on the seventh day, God will move.
Why am I writing this post? I’ll look foolish if it doesn’t happen tomorrow, and even more foolish if it doesn’t happen at all. But that doesn’t matter. It only matters that God is glorified. It’s also my way of (reverently, respectfully, and humbly) putting God on the spot. I’ve done what I believe He’s asked me to do, and now I’m believing that He will do his part.
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
At Team D’s* last major planning meeting, we read through the Book of Titus, a letter from the Apostle Paul to a young leader named Titus. There was a ton of good stuff in there, but one of the things that stuck out to me was Paul’s comment that an overseer must be disciplined.
I’m not disciplined. I don’t mean that I’m a hoodlum. I mean that I don’t lead an ordered, structured life.
This is a problem. I need to have the discipline to get up early to read my Bible, because I know I won’t do it at night. I need to have the discipline to exercise, because that triathlon is looming, and I’m not ready.
In the last few posts I’ve talked about how at NCC we’re believing God for a piece of property so that we can better serve God’s kingdom. And my wife and I are also looking purchase a house. While plans can always change, we see ourselves in DC for the foreseeable future. We’d like to have a family here, and in the meantime, we want to be able to use our house to entertain out of town guests, help out friends who need a place to stay, and share our lives with those around us.
Thoroughly confused as to how these relate? Wait for it…
Last Sunday, Pastor Mark preached on the story of Jericho, where the Israelites marched around the city of for seven days before God gave it to them. PM also talked about praising God for the things He’s done, even when from a human perspective it doesn’t seem as if He has yet done them.
That Sunday afternoon and every morning since then, I’ve ridden my bike around Capitol Hill (where we’d like to live), praising God, believing that He will provide the right house for Rachel and I. We’ve put offers in on three places that didn’t work out, and as difficult as that has been, I believe that God has something better in store for us.
I’ve also been stopping at the property that NCC is attempting to purchase,# walking around it, and praising Him for providing it.
It has been a great experience and one that taken some discipline. Getting up at 7 AM to ride in 45 degree weather doesn’t come naturally, but it’s more than worth it. It has also taken some discipline to stay on task. I’ll be honest, some days I’ve done a fair amount of road raging when I should have been praising.
I’m planning to finish tomorrow by circling Capitol Hill 7 times. (This time in a car, it’ll be over 50 miles!) I’ll also be walking around NCC’s new property 7 times, praising God for it.
*NCC’s Discipleship Team
#At least, I’m pretty sure it’s the right property. I know I’m at least in the right area 
Here at NCC we’re in the middle of a sermon series called Miracles. There have already been some incredible stories of the things God has done. He’s provided over $15k for an orphanage in the Congo and made amazing financial provision for one of our unpaid interns.
When we started this series, I didn’t really have a miracle I was praying for. Sometimes I have a hard time getting in line with these church-wide things. It’s not an attempt at rebellion or arrogance (although it’s probably at least a mild form of both). In this case, there just wasn’t anything I felt like I needed a miracle for. I have a great wife, just got a great job, am in need of nothing, and feel like I’m spiritually in a much better place than I’ve been in a very long time, maybe ever.
But then Pastor Mark said something that really struck a chord in me. He told us to be a part of other people’s miracles. So that’s what I’m praying for. I’m praying that God would use me to bless others.
Since then, I’ve found some places where I could use a miracle and have even experienced one, but more on that later.
I’m about to start a series of posts on some things that God is teaching me and the good things that He is doing both in my life and here at National Community Church, but first I need to put it in the context of some recent life events.
- In September I finished my year as an intern at NCC.
- I spent six months working on some web projects and playing online poker.
- In January I was diagnosed with diabetes.
- In March, I was hired for a permanent position at NCC. I’m now coordinating logistics for our small groups. And I’m still searching for a good title. Let me know if you think of anything!
- Rachel & I are looking for a house, we’ve put in three offers, had one accepted, and backed out after the inspection.
More on most of this stuff later.
