When I am afraid ...

All of us are afraid of stuff. Some rational but mostly irrational stuff. Life itself is stressful and fear seems to be one huge contributing factor. So this morning, I want to write about this in my very own layman, non professional understanding on this subject. Some subjects are best left to the experts. But being pastor, I have to deal with just about ... everything! Literally from A to Z. The scary thing is, pastors don't always know lots of stuff. Pastors will do well if they keep to the teaching and preaching of the Word for the simple fact that God's word not only provide the insight and wisdom that we need, it also connect us to God from whence our help comes. But of course the pastor has to be relevant to changing times. That's why constant self learning /teaching/ reading/upgrading  is a very important aspect of a pastor's daily life. Once a teenager asked me what I do daily as a pastor. See, lots of folks think pastors work only on weekends. Rest of week they are "free". That is so far from truth. In response to the teen's question, I spoke briefly of an athlete's life. A golfer for example, don't just work on weekends (tournaments are always held over weekends). If a golfer is not in tournament, the rest of the week is spent in necessary routines which is going to the gym, hitting balls at the driving range, keeping abreast on the latest happenings in the golfing world, etc. for the sake of self improvement and keeping sharp and ready for tournament. So this is what I do apart for the actual work load of managing a church. Enough of digression.

Fear: " ... is a emotion induced by perceived danger or threat, which causes physiological changes, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events".  That's from Wikipedia. When I taught the teens on this subject two weeks ago, this is what I said about fear.

A.There are two kinds of fear. Founded and unfounded fear. If a tiger suddenly appears in front of you, that is real fear. Unfounded fear on the other hand is something you are afraid of which is of the future. It may or may not happen and often times, it's imaginary, irrational and unfounded. So I met a tiger a year ago and I encountered real fear. A year later, I am still afraid to pass through the same path for fear I may cross path with the tiger yet again. Fact is, it's been a year. The tiger have moved on or died. It hasn't been spotted for a year. It's very unlikely I will have a second encounter with it yet I am afraid. This unfounded fear is but imaginary and irrational. That's how it is with fear. Most of what we are afraid of are unfounded and very likely will not even materialize, yet we are afraid it may happen. It's no wonder Jesus enlightened us to not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Meaning, our fears are mostly unfounded so don't dwell on it (Read Matthew 6:25-34).

B. How do you response to fear? From the incident of David and Goliath, I told the teens there's two way to respond to fear. Fight or flight. Goliath was a real threat. On a one-on-one fight, none of the Israelite will be able to survive Goliath. So Israel took flight and Goliath taunted them every day for forty days until the shepherd boy David took the challenge to fight Goliath. The rest is history. Some things just won't go away until you fight it. 

C. How do you overcome fear? Shield and sword. In the olden days when battles were fought, a soldier will need a shield and a sword. Without a shield to protect against the arrows and blows of the sword and spear, a soldier may not survive in battle. Not only will the shield provide protection, it helps the soldier to strategically wield his sword to eliminate the threat. When David encountered Goliath that fateful day, instead of having a physical shield, God was his shield. He wasn't afraid of Goliath. Instead of a sword where he will have to get up close to Goliath, he used a sling shot. At a safe distance, he fired the shot and Goliath felled. David was skilled with the sling shot. Skill is something we can acquire if we apply ourselves to it. Together with God as our shield (Psalms 28:7), we have the resource to fight instead of flight. But of course there are times one will have to take flight as a temporary but immediate action but the only way to overcome is still to fight the enemy.

We had a good time in class. We talked about school bullies.I have always enjoyed teaching teens and teaching in small groups. God's word is like a hidden treasure. It's a delight to be able to not just read, but to be able to study and uncover its hidden treasures. God's word is amazing and enlightening. God's word is not meant to be read but to be studied. If you are in the habit of just reading chapters a day, things can get pretty boring and mundane. But when you study it, like food, you will want more. Keep this 2x2x2 lesson in mind. Someday, it may come in handy. God bless.

Row, Row, Row the boat ...

 A nursery rhyme played in my mind today. It wasn't Baa Baa Black Sheep or London Bridge is Falling Down. It was Row Row Row the boat gently down the stream. Let me make a lesson out of this.

Let's imagine there are seven of us in a row boat and let's pretend we're rather skilled. Rowing in sync, we propelled the boat forward. Because of excellent team work, we were able to maintain a certain rhythmic movement thereby achieving direction, speed and goal. Like an orchestra, we were in harmony. Hold on to this imagination.

In church (especially so in areas of leadership), though there are many of us, we have need to move together as one. Because we're in the same boat, we must have harmony so as to achieve and maintain rhythm in rowing together to move forward. One cannot afford to rock the boat.

Diversity is a gift. The apostle Paul taught about unity and diversity in the Body. "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body ... Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." (1 Cor 12:12,14). As a church and being in the same boat, we need to embrace unity in diversity. You and I both know not all people think alike, act alike, look alike or have the same opinion, perspective or belief. We are all different yet we are all the same. So when we are put together in a same boat with a given task, there's going to be challenges. In order to get from point A to point B, there must be TEAM WORK.

In a same boat, we are no longer just individuals. We are and we have become a crew and we have a captain. Coming back to our make believe boat of seven, as a captain, I have to lean heavily on my six crew mates. If they don't row, we are not going anywhere. If they do not row in rhythm it won't be a smooth ride. If one or two or three decide not to row, it will take a whole lot of effort for the other three and the journey will neither be quick nor smooth. And as much as the captain rely on the crew, the crew needs a captain to direct and to keep pace by maintaining harmony and rhythmic movements. If none of these can be achieved, then the boat is getting nowhere.

I have been blessed with a wonderful church board all these years in Vineyard. Not only are we able to get along working together, we have been able to maintain rhythm and harmony. We realized the fact that though we are individuals, yet we are a crew. Here's how we work. When we have to arrive at a collective decision, though not all may agree, once a decision is being made, we row together. Instead of folding arms and rebel, we sail together as a team. At the end of the journey, we may discover one of two things. 1) If it works well in the end, those with differing views now will have a new perspective and experience. They will be glad for the effort they put in. 2) If it didn't work out, then those who were rightly correct can say, "It's alright. Now we know. We can learn from this and move on" instead of saying "I told you so". That's the attitude of teamwork. Instead of persecuting one another, we learn collectively how to do or how not to do things. It's a learning process and it's a journey. When we sail into the unknown, there's the element of faith and surprise, failure and success. Faith because risks are involved in the unknown, surprise because we do not know exactly what's in store. Failure and success, it's all part of the journey. That's the reality. As a board, we had our fair share. Overall, the journey thus far was great. We've seen sunrises and sunsets. We've been through storms. And through it all, we have learned to depend of Jesus. We have learned to trust in God. Glory to God. 

Being in Vineyard together, you are and I, we're in a same boat. But I would like to remind us today, though there are different kinds and types of boats, we are (in the eyes of God) life boats. Out in the sea of humanity, there are people waiting to be rescued. Dare we fold our arms and rock the boat? 

So how about  this. Instead of rocking the boat or jumping ship, why not we embrace unity in diversity and put our hands on the oar and row together in harmony? We are not passengers. We are a crew because we have been put together in the same boat by the Holy Spirit and we have a purpose and a destination. Jesus is our Captain. If we look to Him and not let our differences get in the way, if we keep our hands on the oar and row together as one no matter what, Jesus will take us where we need to go. And when we finally arrive, we are going to be glad that we embraced unity in diversity, stayed on the boat and worked together as one. Let's spur each other on. Let's be but a great crew to the glory of our Captain Jesus. After all, we are in the same boat.  Let's shipshape.

Row row, row the boat gently don the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream

IF God has a hand phone ...

When God revealed Himself to Moses in preparation for delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, God revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses was then instructed to present God to the Israelites as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to remind them of the covenant He had made with Abraham which had since passed down to Isaac and Jacob (Ex. 3:11). Now is the time for the fulfillment of the promise.

People love to name-tag. "I am a friend of so and so". I don't carry name cards but if I do, it will not be about my credentials following after my name. Rather it will be something like this: "Leslie Low - friend of _______". But I have learned long time ago to avoid name tagging. It may get you somewhere but there is a price to pay. It's natural for people to want to name tag. To be identified with someone great is not only leverage but also an ego boost. But careful. In the end you may have to sell your soul. 

When I read about God taking upon Himself to "name-tag" with man, I was dumbfounded. How can God identify Himself with fallen men? I suppose David too felt the same for he wrote: "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Ps. 8:4). Man was in fact made a little lower than angels and angels worship God! God is majestic in all the earth. He has set His glory in the heavens. Yet He chose to be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Like David, all I can say too is: "Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth". If there is any doubt that God loves and cares for us, let this be put to rest today. God loves us. Full stop.

IF God has a hand phone, I pray my name will be in His contact list. Have a God day.

Sincerely,

Leslie Low - friend of God