Early Spring Cleaning

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I was interviewing Dr. Henry Cloud the other day and he said something so helpful. He said just like ‘cleaning out the junk’ we accumulate over the years from our closets, we often accumulate things in our relational lives. The two things we collect as we go through life are (1) relationships and (2) commitments. If we don’t spiritually manage these things we end up with so much ‘relational clutter’ our lives are a mess. The tough thing is focusing on what the Lord is asking us to commit right now, and not old things from the past. That is not to say ongoing relationships are to just be ‘taken out with the trash.” Hardly. One of the most precious things in life are our enduring friendships. But the fact is we cannot be a close friend with everyone. We can’t say ‘yes’ to everything, or we end up really saying ‘yes’ to nothing. It takes God’s wisdom and to give our selves the permission to adjust to new chapters in life.by Dr. Mark Brewer ::

February is the Month for Resolutions

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I was just reading a report that said the best month to make resolutions is February, not January. (I guess that’s true if you’re not giving up chocolate around Valentines day.) The psychologists were researching how people who don’t set goals because its that time of the year are more motivated to stick with it. I guess its the difference between ‘ideals’ and values’. An ideal is something we admire and even aspire towards. A value is something our behavior manifests. Sometimes I am surprised at what I really do value, as opposed to what I idealize. The great barometers of a ’spiritual audit’ this time of year concerning our ‘values’ is our calendars and our check books. What we spend our time and money on are the statement of what we value. The call is to get our ideals and values to align with Christ’s. One of the great values of God is His unconditional love, grace, acceptance and renewing power. All we need to do is give Him the permission to do a ‘total makeover’ of our lives right where they’re at right now.

An Historic Inauguration

by Dr. Mark Brewer :: I am pretty pumped up to see President Obama get sworn in. Even though I voted for ‘the other guy’ it always moves me to see this incredible nation at its best. I was praying for both President Bush and Laura and the girls as they head back to Texas. I am thankful for so many things he stood for. I was also praying for President Obama and Michelle and their girls as they now move into the White House. I am so thankful for so many things he represents. Do I disagree with both Presidents on many things? Absolutely. But to see our first African American president is so powerful. I think the founding fathers of the nation would have been blown away at how successful their ‘great experiment’ became. ‘Can a people govern themselves without a king?’ As long as they have the moral and spiritual intelligence to govern wisely. For the moment, freedom rings loudly. May the freedom we have in Christ model the very best in hard working ‘class acts’ as citizens of this great country. May God’s people point to the highest hopes we all have.

Pinocchio and Politicans

by Rev. Kim Dorr :: I was watching the news this morning with a story on Roland Burress being sworn in as a United States Senator. Chris Matthews, of MSNBC, said something that struck me as interesting in light of my recent thoughts on people becoming idols. Speaking of U.S. politicians Matthews said:

“These guys imagine someday turning into, the way a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, turning into a building or a bridge…Phil Hart becomes the Phil Hart Building. Everett Dirksen becomes the Dirksen Building. George Bush Senior becomes an aircraft carrier. It’s a strange thing what they wish for…they want to become something inorganic at some point…that’s their dream.”

2 Cor. 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory…” God’s hope for us is that we would desire to become more and more like the One who gives LIFE itself, Jesus Christ. What a sad commentary on some of the leaders of our nation who hope to be remembered through achieving the inorganic status of a bridge or building dedication. They hope to be remembered as being “here” by having stone monuments made by human hands marking off their days and their service. Unlike Pinocchio, who wanted to become a real boy, these real human beings dream of becoming stone or wood, lifeless idols. Many of these men and women are God-oriented public servants. But ambition and power can skew their focus and motives, transforming a few into something vain, lifeless and empty.

In this historic inaugural week, let’s keep our elected leaders in prayer…pray for their aspirations and dreams. Pray that they would seek to be remembered by becoming more and more like their life-giving Savior and less like a building or bridge.

American Idols

by Rev. Kim Dorr :: Early in my faith life a friend told me, “If there is anything that God is committed to, it’s kicking over idols.” Of course, God’s commitment is to making sure his children don’t walk in darkness, so kicking over idols is part of that Fatherly care.

Idols don’t tend to fair to well in the presence of God. When the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines and placed in the Temple of Dagon (read 1 Samuel 5), the Spirit of the Lord kept knocking the idol over, finally resulting in the head and hands of the figure of Dagon being broken off. The Philistines didn’t recognize that their “god” was nothing, a sham, in the presence of Yahweh, they just sent the ark back to the Israelites and, I guess, put the headless, handless figure of Dagon back in its place and returned to their darkness.

Today, people continue to lather themselves into a tizzy over American Idol. Will Kara DioGuardi stand up to Simon? Will Paula say or do something outlandish? Will adoring fans impact the outcome with their passion? And, of course, who’s the new superstar? Getting onto the show has become an all-consuming quest for some. Recovering from the scars of being on the show has been a healing process for others.

Idols are nothing new to Hollywood. There’s always another young face waiting in the wings, waiting for the limelight. Many just want to do the work, to be a great actor or singer or sports hero. They don’t set out to become “idols”. Idolatry is something that happens in the chemistry between “larger than life” and “regular” folks. Like alchemy, idolatry seems to change the elements. Well-intentioned entertainment can become an addiction. Hope-filled performers can become stars. People get lost and lives can get broken.

Maybe the best thing we can do as this new season of American Idol gets rolling is to pray for its participants, pray that they won’t become idols, something that while larger than life are somehow less than human. Pray that they enjoy their talent and recognize their ability therein to give glory to their Creator and not hold onto praise for themselves. Pray for their protection and well-being. Pray that they know their God of grace and know that we can all thank God for His commitment to kicking over idols.