Repost: My Hour (And 3 Minutes) of Life as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer

This was a post I originally wrote, on November 14, 2008, as part of a facebook note that I decided to repost today since I will once again be given the opportunity to serve by ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.

So today I had the unique opportunity to serve outside the Lynchburg Walmart as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, you know, those people who wear the red aprons that stand near the red buckets that you give money to or that you avoid eye contact with in everyway possible. Yeah I was one of them today! Not that I willingly volunteered, but my buddy and old colleague, Darren Wu, came around asking us to take part and, because our office was having to do it anyways, I "volunteered" for the 2 - 3 PM time slot. Originally my pal and fellow coworker Dave Guthrie and I were going to do it together but due to some errors or what not, I was placed alone at the time slot. Alone for an hour, ringing a bell, and no one to talk to while busy shoppers walk by me - would I survive? Could I gain anything from this time? The answer to both was a resounding yes which is why I felt compelled to write an editorial about my experience.

I was first confronted, by that still small voice of the Lord, to make sure I am obeying what I just taught the Edge (the college/career ministry of Calvary Chapel Lynchburg) which was "and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24). You see it could be quite easy for me to have a poor attitude towards this seeing how I am not the type who enjoys being looked at and watched unless I'm teaching or purposely doing something to gain attention, and this was part of my job at work for the day. Thankfully though the Lord brought this great Scripture to mind as soon as I started, before I would even have a chance to possibly grumble or complain, and I'm thankful for that because instead it gave me a joyous heart in serving in this manner. So much so that I'm likely to do it again next year if asked (or maybe if not asked I'll seek it out as a ministry opportunity). I was also impressed when "Linda", an employee at Walmart, took time during her 15 minute break to come stand beside me and ring. She rang very fast and very loud and put me to shame in my bell ringing ability (though I was trying to keep pace for the long haul) and she did this on her break without anyone asking her! Thanks Linda, whoever you are, for the company for those 10 or so minutes.

The Lord also used this opportunity to reveal a matter of the heart on my own lack of generosity. I found there were five types of people I encounted during my 63 minutes outside Walmart: (1) the generous, joyful giver, (2) the joyous giver who gives a little because they can, (3) the giver who gives out of a sense of guilt due to the fact that he was within range of both my tintinnabulation and eyesight and others may be watching if he/she gives or not, (4) the person who doesn't give either because they don't have any money/change or they don't want to but makes eye contact and says hello, and (5) the person who avoids you like a disease or pretends you don't even exist. The Lord showed me that often times I am either 3 or 4, sometimes 2, but never 1. Now there is nothing wrong with #2 as there is no requirement to give to the Salvation Army a very generous gift, but the point is would I if the Lord put it on my heart to do so and the answer to that is a sad no. I tend to justify this by saying "well I don't know how much of my money actually is used for a good cause" which led me to look it up when I got back to the office (87 cents out of every $1 goes directly to the homeless, mentally ill, physically challenged, victims of drug and alcohol abuse, and others under our care) or by reminding myself of the fact of how I give to my church so there is not that need to give to something else generously. Again, it's not the matter of how much one gives but the willingness of the heart to give if felt compelled. I pray that I'd remember that the Lord provides and He will provide for me even if I give what I think I can't afford to someone or something else! I've never had wealth so it's always a step of faith to give more and it's a faith I need to start stepping out on more.

Lastly, I saw examples that I hope to pass on to my kids that was passed on to me by my mom of giving. Many parents would give their children the money to put into the kettle which my mom would also do for us. Sure, as kids you don't fully comprehend what you are doing when your parents give you that money, you just enjoy dropping something shiny into the pot, but it builds an example in teaching children to give. I was most impressed when a lady took out a five dollar bill and gave it to her child (I thought she was giving the child the $5 to hold onto while she searched for a $1 in her pocketbook) and then had the child place the $5 into the contained I had been standing beside this whole time ringing my little bell. The child had no idea the difference between a $1 and a $5 but I did and that's when the Lord spoke to me of my selfishness. I saw that $5 as a pizza or foot long sub meal for my wife and I (believe me that's almost gourmet for us since we don't get to eat out often) and was shocked that anyone would put "that much" in. But in all reality, "that much" is not much when you are trusting in the Lord and being led by Him in giving, whether or not $5 is simply spare change for you (and whether it was for this lady or not, I wasn't sure, but I do know people don't give $5 as a #2 or #3 type person). I need to be more "open handed" with my finances instead of "close fisted" allowing the Lord to break my heart to give. I may give to my church and those on mission trips but am I willing to give to strangers standing outside a store next to a bucket of sorts? I want to set the example to my son Caleb, future son Noah [editors note: no longer "future" son], and whatever other children the Lord blesses me with, to give generously and joyously, but to do that, I must become a #1 person myself.Amazing the heart lessons you can learn when you simply pray to the Lord to speak to you while you think you are simply doing the mundane.

Our Infinite God

"...Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name." - Isaiah 63:16

"Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting." - Psalm 93:2

"Great is our God, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." - Psalm 147:5

A few Sundays ago, my pastor, Troy Warner, was sharing on the attributes of God and one attribute struck an incredible chord with me: that God is infinite.

Now I knew that God is infinite but have you ever took time to allow that truth to hit your heart? For with our God who is infinite, He never runs out of anything! In Him is infinite mercy, infinite wisdom, infinite grace, infinite love, infinite power. He'll never be too tired to do something for you or too weak to help you out. You'll never come to Him in repentance for messing up yet again today and find that His mercy has run out for you. You don't have to treat prayer like a bartering system, wondering whether you should ask for this small request because you may need His help for a much bigger project/healing/help later and would hate to use up your "account" with Him. He. Is. Infinite!

Along those lines of thinking too, we must remember that He is far past our understanding. Any theology or thinking about Him that tries to contain Him in a box that makes Him easy to understand is one that doesn't do Him justice. Our finite minds just can't comprehend His fullness. We understand the attributes of God and His nature through Jesus, but we can never fully comprehend the way He works. Am I glad I can't fully pin Him down? Yes, because anything less makes Him nothing more than a god I created on my own.

So next time you begin to wonder if He is through with you, remember He is infinite. Next time you start to wonder if you should even pray, remember He is infinite. Next time you are in despair and depression, remember He is infinite.

Dwell on His infiniteness and let yourself be utterly amazed at His awesomeness drawing you into a time of worship and thanksgiving!

For more on this, do a search through your Bible on the words "everlasting" or "infinite" and dwell on them.

Sticky Notes From Heaven

Lamentations 3:22-23 "[Through] the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. [They are] new every morning; Great [is] Your faithfulness."

Zephaniah 3:17 - "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet [you] with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."


The other week as I awoke from sleep and started to get ready for work, I was in our computer room area and noticed a pad of sticky notes on the desk. Deciding I wanted to surprise my wife and bless her morning when she got up, I decided to write/draw "I love you" in different ways on multiple sticky notes. I then went about placing them in the house on areas that she would see but would still surprise her (bathroom mirror, computer monitor, Brita water container in the fridge, etc.). Now I am not the most romantic guy nor the greatest husband out there, but I wanted to once again let her know that I love her, this time through the creative use of sticky notes.

Upon driving to work, the Lord started to remind me of the "sticky notes" He often sets up for me to see and be reminded how much He loves me. These range from beautiful sunrises that promise a new day of blessings to the rainbow that promises no further global floods to cool breezes that remind me of the Spirit's work in my life, and ultimately the cross that displays His sacrificial love for me. Everywhere I look, if I will only take the time to look, I can easily find these "sticky notes from Heaven".

We can get so caught up in life and our stresses and problems that we tend to forget the great love God has for us. The very same love He showed by sending His Son to the cross for us and that great love displayed in while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Instead of focusing on the "mountains" of worries around you, take time to pause and look for the sticky notes Jesus has placed around you to say "I love you". They won't be hard to find and they won't disappear.

My wife continues to keep my sticky notes up just so she'll be reminded of my love everyday as she walks around the house as well.

Does the Lord do "Better Works"?

Ever hear how one church is exploding at the scenes and hear how the Lord must be doing a "better work" or "greater work" over at that church? Or maybe a ministry is seeing great fruit and you hear that same phrase used? Or someone leaves the church to go some place where God wants to do a "better work"?

Can God do a "better work" than what He is doing somewhere else? Can God be better than what He is? Can God be "greater" than He already is?

Well for the latter questions, no, God cannot be better or greater than what He is right now because He is the best and greatest that He can possibly be which is far more than we could even comprehend.

So if He is perfectly complete, could He do something better/greater elsewhere than He is currently doing? Again the answer is no. He is either working or He isn't working. If He is working, then what He is doing is great. If man is doing all the work and trying to get all the credit, then God probably isn't working which is why there can be burnout and stress. If He's not working, examine why (sin, not seeking Him, carnal means of work, etc.?) then pray for Him to do the work and let Him do the work.

Now one may argue John 14:12 about "greater works" but one must remember that Jesus, incarnate in the flesh, could only be one place at one time, but with the Holy Spirit now "greater" works can be done because He empowers believers to do works everywhere.

We also must remember that we compare things based on man's interpretation of greatness. For instance, we may say a megachurch ministry is a greater ministry than a congregation of 50 people because we see the numbers. Yet, if God is at work in the lives of that small congregation, then great things are equally going on. We must not judge success by numbers but by fruit. A huge congregation with shallow lives isn't a "great" thing at all.

So if you are doing ministry and not seeing the numbers but are seeing lives changed & fruit grown, even if it is in just a handful of people, God is doing great things in your midst. Do not be discouraged but praise the Lord for the good He is doing. If you are doing ministry where you may not see the fruit right away (such as children's ministry) and you are dependent on the Lord, seeking Him in all you do there, then have faith that God is doing a great work. Don't look for numbers to determine greatness - for the most part, people can bring numbers into the doors by silly promotions or stunts - for large numbers don't equal large fruit.

The work God has given you right now - be it full time ministry, a normal job (but where you strive to be a light to the world in that job), "simple" (as people may call it) service in the church (cleaning, parking lot attendant, etc.), a great father/mother to your kids, etc. - is the great work He wishes to do through you.

He does not work "greater" elsewhere if He is working right now. Don't give into comparisons because God doesn't judge based on man's assessment of situations. You serve the Lord and let Him do the work. If you are letting God use you, then He is using you in a "greater" way than you can even imagine!

Knowledge Puffs Up But Love Builds Up

"...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies." - 1 Corinthians 8:1

A few weeks ago I read an article (won't mention the author or title as that would go against all I'm about to write) where the author was saying how a person with a certain theological base (again won't use specifics) could survive in a church that held a different theological base. The article didn't sit right with me because it almost came off like this: "You poor guy for suffering in a church ignorant of the truth. Don't worry though, use your intellegence and bring them along slowly and they will come around and see the light. Make sure you talk though with the leadership of the church first though before you change worship and stuff just in case they aren't enlightened enough to make the transition - if that's the case then it is better off you leave." Now I don't think the author meant for it to come off that way (and I may be a little harsh) but it did make it seem like the author's theological views were better than those that held different views (and when I mention views I'm not talking about the foundational, important, doctrinal views but those that are non-essential for salvation).

And that's the problem I wish to address here.

Now when it comes to what I believe theologically (and notice, I try not to place myself in a "box" of what I am [i.e. Calvinist, Arminian, dispinsationalist, reformed, etc.] because what I am is simply a "Christian", theology is what I believe) on non-essentials I would tell you something like this: I believe in pre-trib rapture, literal 1000 year reign of Christ, God is not through with Israel (the church has not replaced her), God is very much sovereign and yet man very much as free will (and how those come together I don't know, but they do!), all the spiritual gifts are for today (but all must be done decently and in order - too many extremes on both sides of the fence), and (though not theological in nature) I believe the best way to teach the Bible is teaching verse-by-verse through the Bible rather than topically. All of which I can "prove" biblically.

However, to think my views on things, or the church I attend views on things makes me more superior than another Christian is both false and divisive. Yes, I hold to my viewpoint for biblical reasons and believe there is a strong case for them, but that doesn't mean I'll look down on someone else for different views. It simply means I'll agree to disagree with you and continue on in sweet fellowship. When we divide with someone simply because they are Pentacostal but you're Baptist, or they are Reformed but you're Arminian, is divisive and I would even say sin. Knowledge leads to pride which is why when you are around another Christian talking about theological matters, make sure you are looking to love (which will edify/build them up) them first than simply bringing them over to "your side of things."

Same is true with preferences. Whether your church uses an organ & hymns or full band & contemporary worship, whether it is shirt & tie or casual dress, do not let that make you feel your church is somehow better than that other church.

But I digress.

The point is, feel free to hold to your views and have sound, biblical reasons for them, but don't let that cause you to look down on another Christian simply because they don't share the same views (now if they have false, heretical views that's a whole other story). Don't allow your knowledge of the Bible make you feel more entitled or better than someone who is not as "smart" as you.

Instead of drawing lines in the sand, let's look to partner together in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not whether they share your escatological or whatever-ical view that gets them to Heaven or not - it's whether they have "confessed with their mouth...and believed in their hearts" (Romans 10:9) that is the important thing. So yes, you can do ministry alongside another person of a different denomination (and should do so knowing you are equals in ministry whatever your viewpoints are).

If you're not loving, then all that knowledge goes to waste!

For the Lord or for our church?

The young people at Shively Christian Church, led at the time by Youth Pastor Dave Stone, were fiercely competitive with their neighbor, Shively Baptist, in all things, especially softball. They were also serious about their Christianity, faithfully attending the summer Bible camp led by the youth pastor. One week, the Bible lesson was about Jesus washing his disciples' feet, from John 13. To make the servanthood lesson stick, Pastor Stone divided the kids into groups and told them to go out and find a practical way to be servants."I want you to be Jesus in the city for the next two hours," he said. "If Jesus were here, what would he do? Figure out how he would help people." Two hours later the kids reconvened in Pastor Stone's living room to report what they had done.One group had done two hours of yard work for an elderly man. Another group bought ice cream treats and delivered them to several widows in the church. A third group visited a church member in the hospital and gave him a card. Another group went to a nursing home and sang Christmas carols — yes, carols in the middle of August. One elderly resident remarked that it was the warmest Christmas she could remember. But when the fifth group stood up and reported what they had done, everyone groaned. This group had made its way to none other than their arch rival, Shively Baptist, where they had asked the pastor if he knew someone who needed help. The pastor sent them to the home of an elderly woman who needed yard work done. There, for two hours, they mowed grass, raked the yard and trimmed hedges. When they were getting ready to leave, the woman called the group together and thanked them for their hard work. "I don't know how I could get along without you," she told them. "You kids at Shively Baptist are always coming to my rescue.""Shively Baptist!" interrupted Pastor Stone. "I sure hope you set her straight and told her you were from Shively Christian Church.""Why, no, we didn't," the kids said. "We didn't think it mattered."- Charles W. Colson

I stumbled across this little story and was quickly convicted & challenged by the simple truth that is in there. I think there are too many times where we seek to glorify the church fellowship we attend rather than the Lord. We don't make a conscience decision to do so, but we still do it. We either do it by trying to make our church look cooler/better/etc. than another church (thus competing with the Body of Christ) or like something similar to this story's point.

Here is a simple test (and activity) to see where our hearts are in this matter as well as a way to impact those around us, giving glory only to Jesus. It is an activity called "Ding Dong Ditch" I had learned about from a youth pastor from a church in New Mexico. Basically each person brings $1 to $5 and all the money is pooled together to go buy groceries for a needy family. Then those groceries are placed on the porch/by the front door of the home. The doorbell is then rung and everyone runs away and hides and watches from a distance the needy person receive the goods. Those who donated learn to give without receiving anything (even "thank you") in return. The other catch is you are not allowed to place any material with your church's name on it with the groceries (so if your tracks have the church's name, then type a letter explaining the gospel message and the reason for doing this, but don't sign it). Now if your heart (like mine is sometimes) is thinking "but we need to make sure they know it is from our church!" then you are seeking to glorify your church and not simply the Lord.

Let's get back to making sure Jesus gets all the glory and not our cool praise band, our casual dress policy, or our great programs that makes our church stand out better than your church. Jesus is the focus - not us!

Looking For Your Own Catch?

"And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some'. So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish." - John 21:6

Once again we find our famous fishermen, who have been toiling all day and night, without any fish to give them satisfaction of accomplishment (or food to fill their stomach's for that matter). Suddenly, they hear a command to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Last time they had heard something similar to this (Luke 5:4-5) they were skeptical (but obeyed) while this time, they simply obey. The result: a huge catch! The questions to ask ourselves are: What did these disciples do to make a great catch? What great thinking & intellegence did they possess to create such a great catch? What program(s) did they use to become fisherman with full nets?

The answers may surprise you: (1) they obeyed Jesus, (2) none, they obeyed Jesus and (3) none, they obeyed Jesus. Interesting huh?

Yet, sometimes we as humans are quick to take credit for our own "catch" or put stock in a "program" so we too can have a net full of fish of our own.

Be it in ministry or service the Lord has given you, you simply need to obey what the Lord is calling you to do. When you watch some other church with "full nets" and look to see what great attributes that pastor/leadership has or what program they may be using, you are not only looking at the wrong source but you are also possibly stealing glory from God! And if you give credit of your catch to your abilities or program, then you are more than likely stealing glory from God!

As churches, ministries, etc., let's simply obey Jesus doing what He calls us to do and stop trying to use our own ingenuity to get full nets. We also need to make sure we aren't comparing size of nets either - your "full" net may not be the same as someone elses "full" net. We don't get lazy in ministry but we can't think we're less "successful" simply because our net isn't as "full" compared to someone elses.

Remember, Jesus has everything to do with the catch - not you! Just obey.