Christ Came at Just the Right Time

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Originally published here: https://www.thesheridanpress.com/faith/column-the-world-jesus-came-to-didnt-look-like-a-movie/article_9c06d148-1a2e-48c4-82dd-8f73740619d2.html

The Christmas Stroll has become one of my favorite times of the year. If I am in town for Thanksgiving weekend, I’m there. This year was no exception. I enjoyed chatting with friends. The kids were having a blast laughing and playing together. Stores were filled. Live music was playing everywhere. And my cup of hot chocolate was never so satisfying.

We’ve had such a beautiful fall season that I’ve been having trouble comprehending that Christmas is so close. But the snow came at just the right time – right on queue for the Christmas Stroll! It was so good to walk up and down Main Street in the snow, even if I wasn’t acclimated to the cool breeze. It made for a wonderful and picturesque evening. Someone commented, “it’s like a Hallmark movie!” So true!

While that evening looked like a movie scene, I know that for many this is a very difficult time of year. Some are grieving a loss. Some are in a challenging financial situation. Some are dealing with issues at work or at home. I get it. Sometimes life is really, really hard.

If I’m honest about my own life, this season has been a mixed bag. At times I’m celebrating God’s goodness with friends and then a moment later I’m grieving the loss of a loved one with other friends. Some days I’ve got the “feel good vibes” and the next I’m wondering if anything else can fall apart. I’m guessing you can relate to this. I’m keenly aware that there is a season for everything. And this season seems to be filled with all the things.

There is a verse that I keep coming back to that says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6 NLT). I like to think I have enough Wyoming grit to muscle my way through any circumstance, but I don’t. I’m going to give it my best shot and yet at some point I run out of strength. This passage is referencing sin specifically – I definitely fall short and I’m utterly helpless. Yet God knew this about me and he sent Jesus for me anyway. And not just for me – for you too. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas. At just the right time, Jesus came. Immanuel, God with us.

Much like our everyday reality, the world Jesus came to didn’t look like a movie. Quite the opposite actually. He came to a world that didn’t welcome him. He came to a humble place, an animal-filled barn. In a sense he came to you right where you are. And at just the right time.

Whatever this season is like for you, the appearance of everything going perfectly isn’t the goal. Likewise, we don’t celebrate how things feel. Instead, we celebrate that Jesus came. We have hope because of what Christ has done for us and because Christ is with us now. In him there is newness of life, hope and peace. I encourage you to stay connected during this season. Go to church. Call your family. Visit with friends. And remember 1 John 4:9 (NLT), “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.”

Pastor’s Corner – January 17, 2025

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“How are you doing?”  “I’m great! Thanks! And you?” 

That sounds like the start of almost every conversation everywhere. Whether or not we are actually “great” might be another matter. Our reality is that some people are doing amazingly well and some people are hurting. Really hurting. If we are honest, everyone of us is somewhere on that spectrum between blessed and struggling. We all know too, that our situations are very fluid and can change rapidly.

I have been pleasantly surprised recently to see folks step up to help others in the best possible ways. The kindness is tangible and real. I love seeing people come alongside one another to help out as needed. Sometimes these are small acts of service that could go unnoticed and sometimes these are acts of sacrificial giving coming at great cost to the giver. 

As I gain experience as a pastor, I’m learning that everyone is wrestling with something. We are sometimes tempted to compare ourselves to others. Don’t do it. It is useless to compare our struggles because for each one of us struggles are very real. My battle is different than yours and yours is very different than mine. And that’s probably okay. 

I’m also learning that we handle battles differently. We tend to have default behavior and default tools that guide us. Some responses are innate and some are learned. Some people seem to have great tools in the toolbox and others seem to have room to grow. All of us could stand to sharpen the tools we have. Perhaps we even need to acquire some new tools with the help of counselors or spiritual leaders. 

One of the best tools we have access to is other people. We are not very good at carrying burdens alone. Of course no one wants to see anyone go through a crisis, but there is value in walking through a crisis with others. 

Whatever it is that you are going through, find some people that you can walk with. I understand that some issues are difficult to admit, but it is worth the effort to journey with others. I might even go so far as to say that God created us to walk in community. 

Churches can be great places to find our much needed community. My encouragement to you is to find a place to plug in. Of course I’d love to have you at my church, but if we aren’t a great fit then I will help you find another place to plug in. We have some amazing pastors and churches in our community. 

One great value in walking together is that we can encourage each other. When I’m having a down day I need to hear from my brothers and sisters. When I have something to celebrate, that celebration is so much sweeter with friends.

Whatever the circumstances, I often think of Psalms 126:3 (NIV) which says, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” When I’m stuck thinking about my difficulties, I remember that the Lord has been so good to me. And then I remember that the Lord has been so good to us. So let’s encourage one another and build each other up. Let’s cheer each other on and support one another. 

“Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” Psalms 34:3 NIV

I’m a little slow in posting this. I wrote this piece for our local newspaper on January 17. Here is the original link: https://www.thesheridanpress.com/opinion/columnists/column-how-are-you-doing/article_0f70861a-d393-11ef-aa55-eb795fc06386.html

Always a Learner

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With all of our schools kicking off a new year in the past week or two, I can’t help but to think of how important education is for our young people. We are blessed to live in a community with some of the best schools in the nation. I might be a bit biased yet all the Blue Ribbons seem to back me up on this statement. And we have some great alternative schools as well! Thank you, teachers, administrators, and support staff for caring for our young people! We pray that this year will be the best yet, that you will have all the appropriate resources you need, and that you will have a renewed passion and energy for this upcoming year.

For all of us that are out of school I have a two part challenge. First, I want to challenge you to always be a learner. It is far too easy to think that we are done with that phase of our lives. Now we have expectations to produce at the workplace. Whatever the product is in our industry, there is pressure to perform. There’s nothing wrong with that. We should strive to be productive in the literal sense of the word. Write articles, sell houses, build systems, serve a meal. Put in an honest day’s work in whatever you do. And yet in that, always be a learner.

I am constantly striving to grow and learn. I’ve taken on countless projects that I didn’t know how to do at the time knowing that I could learn how to do it. I’m not advocating for being deceptive or for taking on too much. Instead I’m saying that we should be open to stretching ourselves by learning new skills, by applying what we already know in new ways, and by acquiring new tools to do new jobs. Don’t stop learning.

Second, I want to challenge you to apply the learned knowledge and skills in real life.

I’m really looking forward to getting back to watching Sunday afternoon football. It doesn’t matter who is playing – I just enjoy watching a good game. And I can definitely be a bit of an armchair quarterback. “Why did you throw that?! How come you didn’t run the ball?! Didn’t you see the open man?! What even was that?!” To be clear, I’m not a football player, unless you count the rare backyard game. Here’s my point. I can sound like an expert and even tell people what they ought to do, but too often I’m unwilling to do it myself. Can anyone else relate to that? I think all of us do this to some extent. Leo Tolstoy, author of War & Peace, said, “Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.” We need to actually do the things we know to do.

The Apostle Paul was a role model in this regard. First, he credited the Lord for everything he learned and practiced. Second, he modeled the behavior that he taught others to do. And he was bold enough to say not only, “do what I say,” but also, “do what I do.” He said, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 NLT) Strive to be a “do what I do” sort of person.

And I have one more challenge for those that know the Lord. I encourage you to keep fixing your eyes on Christ and to stay in the Word. Paul offered an instruction and a promise in this verse: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7 NLT)

Be a student for life and let your life be a blessing to everyone you meet.

This will appear in The Sheridan Press on August 30, 2024.

A Place to Connect

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I recently heard a pastor say, “Everybody is looking for a place to connect. That might be in a small group at church or it might be with family.” I keep thinking about this since. In my observation, the pastor was correct. All of us desire to belong somewhere. And people always seem to find places to connect. Sometimes it is a healthy place and sometimes it is an unhealthy place. At the end of the day we will find a place to belong, whether by conscious choice or by passive drifting.

The people I worry about the most are the ones that withdraw from all connections. Sure, we all go through seasons of having more or less desire to connect with others. But I’m talking about those that withdraw as a habit. Humans don’t do well in isolation. A common movie trope is to punish the worst criminals with solitary confinement. There really might be a lot of truth there – the worst punishment we can give people is extended isolation. People suffer in isolation. Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NLT) says, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Conversely, solitude can be excellent. Solitude is different from isolation in that there is a purpose and a timetable attached. Withdrawing for a short season to rejuvenate and refresh is good and even commendable. Summers in Wyoming are awesome for that – many of us retreat to the mountains to get away from the routine, the cellphone, and the busyness of normal life. And yet, our habit is often to retreat with family or close friends.

These principles apply to introverts and extroverts alike. I lean a bit towards being an introvert. I love being around people but I require some solitude each day to refocus and recharge. Chances are good that you do too. But I also need time with good friends. I need people speaking into my life and they need me speaking into theirs. We need places to tell stories, to celebrate successes, and to process failures. We can do this to a small degree alone. We do this better with others.

Who do you connect with? And is this a willful, healthy choice or do you need to make some changes? Proverbs 18:24 (NLT) reminds us, “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” We all have had these “friends” that are not good for us. What we really need are good, honest, loyal, truth-speaking friends. Friendship is a two-way street. You have to be a friend to have a friend. Be a friend to someone. Jesus put it this way in John 15:17 (NLT), “This is my command: Love each other.”

As we get into the Fourth of July festivities and then Rodeo Week, keep this in mind. Look for those on the sidelines needing a place to connect and invite them in. Watch for opportunities to extend a hand of grace to anyone who needs it. And if you are the one needing it, don’t refuse. Get connected and become a connector. 

This appeared in The Sheridan Press on June 21, 2024.

Lion Chasers & Giant Slayers

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You find yourself in a pit with a lion. And it is snowing. What do you do? Benaiah found himself in this situation. He chased the lion down and eliminated the threat. As far as I can tell, he was either crazy or an incredible warrior. Or maybe a little (a lot?) of both. 

We find ourselves in tough situations all the time. Maybe not “in a pit with a lion on a snowy day” tough, but tough all the same. How do we know what to do? How do we learn what steps to take? Personally, I make a habit of learning from characters described in the Bible. Benaiah is one of those guys that I look at, especially when I need encouragement during a difficult time. Benaiah reminds me that we are to be leaders of character and leaders in the battle. We were designed to take on significant challenges.

Benaiah was an incredible warrior and one of King David’s Thirty Mighty Men. He was the kind of guy that people would tell stories about around the campfire. He was an honorable man and a distinguished leader. He defeated the strongest and most imposing enemies by hand. And he once chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and killed it. Who does that? 

The story of Benaiah is a story of character as much as incredible feats of strength. While we don’t have many details, Scripture says he was more honored than his counterparts. King David recognized his trustworthiness when he made Benaiah captain of the king’s bodyguard. King Saul recognized his loyalty when he made Benaiah the commander-in-chief of the entire army. Benaiah demonstrated self-sacrifice as he attacked the fiercest foes while clearly being the underdog. 

And yet, I keep coming back to the story of the lion. Why did he pursue that fight? Why did he pick a terrible weather day? Why did he fight the lion in the pit? We’ll likely never know the details of that day, but I speculate that this was simply Benaiah’s lion to deal with. Just as in the battles when he defeated the giants, this was his battle to fight.

We have battles of a different sort today. Our enemy is not flesh-and-blood, but evil and darkness (Ephesians 6:12). 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” The probability is extremely high that you have had encounters with this lion. Maybe you’ve been attacked already. Maybe you’ve heard the roar. Maybe you’ve seen the evidence of him hiding the grassland around you. 

And yet there is no reason to fear. The enemy may roar, but don’t pay attention to that. He’s already been defeated. Be ready. Stay alert. Be on the lookout. And when he shows up, don’t be afraid of the fight. Instead, fix your gaze on the Victorious One, the one who defeated the enemy through the cross, the one who saw the beginning and the end, the one who calls us to follow him.

Stand firm and stay alert. This means living with Godly character and teaching the next generation to do the same. 

Engage your giants. Don’t be afraid of the fight if it is the right fight. These are your lions to chase and these are your giants to defeat.  

Fight the right fights. There are so many things competing for our attention and so many distractions to lead us off course. We must learn to stay focused so we can do what matters most. 

You are a conqueror. 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 (NIV)