My Functional Savior

I've been thinking about Jesus. I listened to a sermon on line and it got me thinking about the first of the ten commandments. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. All my sins start with the breaking of this one. Let's say, for the sake of argument, I tell a lie. The question is, why did I lie? I lied because for a moment the approval of someone else or my own self esteem was more important than God. I have a Savior in my head but sometimes my functional savior is something other than Jesus and that is a problem. If I think the thing that makes my life worth living is my family then that is my functional savior. If I think that my job makes my life worth living or my car or my self esteem or my pleasure or my health then that is my functional savior. I need Jesus to be my savior not only in my head but I need Him to be my functional Savior. Ever since I heard that sermon I have been thinking of Jesus more. It has been a good couple of days. It is amazing how things fall into place when Jesus is my real Savior and He is the one who makes my life worth living. Come Sunday and you will probably hear more about it. I just can't get it out of my mind.

My friend Clive

The internet is an amazing thing. A few months ago I received an e-mail from a youth pastor in England who had been on our website and was asking permission to use part of a sermon he had downloaded. Thus began my relationship with Clive Bennett. Yesterday Clive sent me this...
"Hi Joe,

I just wanted to contact you and encourage you from the other side of the pond
after hearing the sermon from last week on dealing with conflict. I am praying
for you and for your church and the person who wrote that letter and pray that relationships which that have been harmed will soon be restored. Not only do I
find your teaching encouraging, challenging and Godly, I found the way that you
and Jim dealt with and taught on the whole issue very Godly tool. Please be
encouraged and keep up your good work. "
Your brother in Christ,
Clive
How cool is that!! The body of Christ spread across the great pond encouraging each other to keep going. I love that guy. I may not meet him in person until heaven but then we will have much to talk about.

JoJo

For a couple of reasons I found myself alone at home much of the week with my dog JoJo. She is a Jack Russel terrier and I named her JoJo to remind myself she was my idea when she acted like a Jack Russel is expected to act. She has been a great dog. I've been watching her though. She follows me wherever I go. She gives the impression she just wants to be with me. I am the center of her world and whatever I am doing is of intense interest to her. I've been watching her and thinking of my relationship with God. I don't think I often make God feel the way JoJo makes me feel. I want to do that more. I want to follow Him, be all about what He is about, and just enjoy being with Him whenever. If I do that then maybe I will have the joy I see in my Jack Russel. This is the first time I have ever wanted to be more like my dog.

HOLY

My brother told me once he thought God was like a high voltage power line. His point was that you must approach a power line on its terms. You do not run willy nilly toward high voltage. I've been reading Leviticus. God seems to keep saying to people, "I want to have relationship but you need to know about my nature. You cannot approach me on your terms." The whole sacrificial system is built on the idea of approaching God on his terms. God was always setting the stage for Jesus. People are always asking why Jesus has to be the only way. It's like a little child asking, "Why can't I just grab the wire? Why do I have to wear a glove? That is not fair." Anyway, it struck me today as I was sitting praying after reading Leviticus. I love that Jesus calls me his friend. But I never want to forget that God is not my buddy. He is holy and wildly powerful and the price that was paid for me to make it safe to talk with him was enormous. So, I worship. "Call me Dad" he says. I do, but I also call him "Sir" sometimes. In the ancient languages it is "Lord".

A Chapter Closes

My son Jeremy was home for Mother's Day. That meant that for a couple of meals all 5 of the Coffey clan were together. It was a reminder for me of what I think was the favorite chapter of my life. I know there are other chapters to come but the chapter of tucking the kids into bed and having them all here has come to a close. I have really loved this chapter. In a few weeks my daughter Rachel will get married. I love her fiance and I think it is a great thing. The bets are on as to whether I will crack during the ceremony like a dry twig. If I do it won't be because I am sad about the wedding. It will be because as I watch my daughter slip a ring onto a young man's hand and have him slip one on hers, I will be watching my favorite chapter up to this point close. So, if I throw myself on the ground sobbing, those of you in the next chapter come up and tell me how good it is. I will try to believe you. Once again I am convinced of a great truth. The price of love is pain. It is a reminder of the love of God. To love, really love, means a willingness to experience pain even if it is just the pain of watching time roll on. I have thought for a while that a courageous prayer is to pray for God to increase my capacity for pain so I can love more people with a greater depth. That is my prayer as a Dad and my prayer as a pastor today.

My Post Letter World

The outpouring of love and support has been amazing since the weekend. The thing I like best is what people are actually writing and the spirit they are writing with. People have written about how they have come to understand who Jesus is and have committed themselves to following him since coming to this church. Others talk about how much their lives have changed and how much their faith has grown. The greatest thing is the number of people who say they are praying for the church and for us as leaders. Many mention praying for the author of the anonymous letter. All that is very very encouraging. The best way to prove the anonymous letter wrong is for all of us to be like Jesus, for every one of us to continue to grow in our faith and our obedience. It is hard to argue with true Christianity. Thanks for your love and your prayers. I am very grateful to be a part of this church family. I have saved every letter and every e-mail. They will make good company on the next "rainy day."

Whatever you do...

To say I am mechanically deficient is a gross understatement. I have been having trouble with my big mower. A mechanically gifted friend tried to tell me what to do to make sure the fuel line was not clogged. By step 2, I was completely lost. I am so pitiful. Ladies, if you are married to a man who can fix things, stop reading this and go give him a big kiss on the lips. Seriously. Anyway, there is one thing I can do. Since I am an avid bike rider I have had to learn how to fix flats. I'm pretty good at it actually. I was riding the other day on the bike path and passed a poor biker who was walking his bike. He had a flat and no gear to fix it. For a biker that is the equivalent of being "up a creek without a paddle." I stopped and fixed the flat. It is funny, I have been reading Exodus where God asked Moses to do something he can only do with God's help. Sometimes God does that. Talking to your neighbor or a family member about your relationship with Jesus or going deep into someone's life who desperately needs to talk to someone and you feel wholly inadequate or standing up to preach a sermon. But there are other times when God can ask you to do something that is right in your wheel house. Something you can do with your eyes closed. The interesting thing to me is the result of serving God either way is joy. The currency of the Kingdom of God is joy. So, look for anything. Do something for God you can do with your eyes closed, or go ahead and do something God has been asking you to do for a while that you know you can only do with His help. Either way, if you are looking for joy, you will find it.

It's A Wonderful Life

I am glad this weekend is over. The greatest concern of a pastor is the health of the church. The response has been overwhelming. One of my favorite movies is It's A Wonderful Life. I think I have always loved that movie because it is essentially a movie about ministry. George Bailey spends his life helping others and then feels like he has wasted his life. The climax of the movie is when George is in need and everyone comes to his rescue. I always cry when the telegram comes from Sam Wainright and then George's brother Harry flies in to show his support. Anyway, the e-mails I have been receiving since yesterday make me feel like George Bailey. I am the richest man in town this Monday and I am very grateful.

The Sermon

I thought some of you might be interested in how a sermon comes to be. This is the way it happens for me.
Monday- I spend in research. I try to research exactly what the Bible passage says. What the author meant and I ask my usual questions of a passage. Who, what, when, where, how, why and so what. This can involve quite a bit of reading and then some study of the original languages.
Tuesday- My day off. I spend it mostly thinking, praying and mulling over the passage. Many times I get ideas Tuesday night while I am sleeping. I think that may be the most common times to get prop ideas.
Wednesday- I pray some more and begin an outline connecting all the relevant scripture and trying to figure out how to communicate it in a way everyone can understand.
Thursday- I get to the office early and write it out word for word. It usually takes me from 7-10am or so.
Friday- I am an audio learner so I preach the message out loud so I can hear it and see if it makes sense to me. I use all the props and try to preach just like I will do in the weekend. This is where some props get cut. I decided not to use a live sheep once. I decided not to use the picture of Jim Colledge in a dress...ok, I'm just kidding. There is no such picture, at least I've never seen it. Anyway, I preach it through twice and time it to make sure I know how much time it will take.
Saturday and Sunday- I pray like crazy that what I have prepared is what God really wants. I try to make sure my heart is right. I get up very early to spend extra time with God to try to make sure I am on His page. Then I go and preach.
Sunday night- I pray again that God will use what was said. I ask for forgiveness for handling that which is holy in such a clumsy and inadequate way.

That is the process of creating a sermon as I know it. Now you know all my secrets.

16 and happy- could anything be better

I was sitting joking with my 16 year old daughter and she turned toward me and was laughing. Her eyes danced. Her smile smote me. I thought, maybe there is nothing more beautiful in all the world than a happy 16 year old girl. It was a very nice moment. I have heard that a parent can only be as happy as their saddest child. I believe that. Today I was as happy as my 16 year old daughter and it was very good. I wonder if God the Father receives pleasure from me when I look at Him and smile. I hope so. Sometimes I wonder why God would ever love me so. Sometimes I am so filled I don't think of it at all, I just smile and look at Him and say, thanks. Today, with the sun shining and the sky blue and my daughter laughing, was one of those days. I just want to smile at my Father in heaven and say," I don't know why you have given me all this, but I want to say thanks. You really are something else." There, I said it. Those of you who read this, I pray you will be filled with joy. I pray that something will remind you of the goodness of God and you will just take a moment to say, thanks.