Naming Wells

By Scott Wetzel

“He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, ‘Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.’”  Genesis 26:22 (NIV)

A lot of people think I’m rebellious.  I have permanent skin art.  I love the rock n roll music.  I have a beard.  I go to hockey games just to watch players throw down.  People have an expectation that I’m confrontational. 

I’m not in the least.

I hate confrontation.

Confrontation makes me nervous.

I know a lot of aspects of my personality and outward appearance may lead people to believe that conflict is a part of my nature but the truth be known, I’d rather leave than fight most of the time.  But I’ll also stay where God wants me and a lot of times that creates an atmosphere of hurt, confusion, and frankly, frustration.  So when I get pushed into a corner I generally don’t back down.

So, here is Isaac in the land in which God told him to live.  Everywhere he goes he’s met with conflict.  He digs a well and people start a fight.  He names that well “Esek” which means “dispute”.  He didn’t retreat and he didn’t fight, he just dug another well. The people of that country come out swinging again.  So he names that well “Sitnah”, which means “opposition".  But he knows that God has placed him in this land for a purpose. 

A purpose to flourish.

You can’t flourish without water.

Again, he doesn’t retreat and he doesn’t fight, he just digs another well.  No one argues this time.  This is the exact spot that God wants him.  This is where he will begin his purpose.  He names the well “Rehoboth” which means "room".  Now he’s got the space to grow.

Isaac didn’t leave where God had put him just because he’d been met with arguments.  He didn’t walk away from the plan that God had laid out for him simply because people didn’t understand what it was that he was doing there.  Instead he kept trying.  He’d name that well and say “I’m not going back there right now because my energy is best spent finding the spot God wants me in.”

This happens so much in the church.  We are in a church family and things get uncomfortable.  We have God ideas that other people don’t understand so we walk away from the family trying to seek a land where there is no conflict.  Truth be told, there will always be conflict.  I believe that we get called to other places but I also believe we move away from the spot that God has specifically called us to way more often than we should.  When the going gets tough we let our entitlement attitude kick in and we leave.  Instead, focus on WHY God has you there.  Don’t give up trying, just give up pushing for a well that you can’t have right now. 

Don’t retreat, don’t fight, just dig another well and name it “room”. 

Homeless

By Brian Powers

I got out of church and after socializing with my friends I took my fiancée to a Chinese buffet. As we left a man walked up to us, obviously down on his luck, and asked if we had a couple of dollars to spare so he could get some soup. I had four 20 dollar bills in my wallet that I had intended to put in the offering basket for my tithes, and also had my debit card on me with plenty of money in the bank. So as often happens, I told the man, “No, sorry. I have no cash on me.” I drove away feeling a little guilty about telling him I had no cash but the cash was for God right?

Here is my mistake: I got so wrapped up in the obedience factor of tithing that I was using tithing to get me out of helping a person in need. I don’t know the man’s situation; whether he had a house or whether he actually wanted to use money for food. But one thing I know for sure is that I failed to represent Jesus as a member of his body. I also missed the chance to buy the man lunch with my debit card, and I could have sat down and talked with him for as long as he wanted because my fiancée was going to her cousins birthday lunch. 

By saying to the man that I had no cash, I am convinced that God heard me say something different. First is that I told the man that I didn’t think he was worth a couple dollars to get food. I told him that I judged him for needing to ask for money and that I won’t help someone who obviously made mistakes in his life to get to where he was now. I didn’t look at it that way but does that man know? God knows the implications behind what I said. Second thing I told the man is that Jesus dying on the cross is also not worth a couple dollars. Here is my rationalization for that statement: Jesus died on the cross for our SINS. Lying is a sin, and Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:31-46 that when we ignore the needy, we ignore him. So in lying to the man and not helping him out, I took for granted what Jesus did for me, and selfishly hoarded it and refused to share it with someone who needed it. 

As I drove away God grabbed hold of my heart and showed me my mistake. He showed me that it is common for us to not give money to beggars; choosing rather to mumble a ten word prayer as we walk away, never to think about that needy person again. So I wanted to change things. I wanted to become the Christian that does something outrageous and gets to see God move in an amazing way. I was a ten minute drive away from where I started when I turned the car around. I pulled out my wallet and prepared to give the man the full eighty dollars I had in my wallet. I planned to explain to him my thought process and to ask his forgiveness. And I hoped I would get an opportunity to share Jesus with the man. I pulled into the parking lot and the man was gone. Someday I fear God will ask me why He is missing a son in heaven. 

How often do we look at all of the ramifications for us neglecting the commands of Jesus? I have been able to work through the guilt and have received God’s forgiveness. And now I have an intense desire to walk in the Spirit ALWAYS so that I never again miss an opportunity to witness to someone. A little bit of selfishness and pride will go a long way in this world. A little bit of giving and humility in love will go further and lasts eternally.

Saving Yourself

By Scott Wetzel
 

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”  John 15:8 (NIV)

If you are a Christian, I have one question for you:  Why?

I know this probably sounds like a stupid question but chew on it for a bit.  See what your answer is.  I vaguely remember asking Jesus “into my heart”.  I was four years old (certainly not old enough to understand the meaning of discipleship) and I was scared of Hell.  I didn’t want to go there because I knew it was a bad place and fire was involved somehow.

So I lived my life doing everything I could to let people know that I wasn’t going to Hell.  I went to church, Sunday school and youth group.  I wore cross necklaces and t-shirts designed to look like Gold’s Gym and Malcolm X, but really were not so subtle attempts to wear my faith.  My activities and wardrobe were specifically designed to deflect my soul from Hell.  My whole Christian walk was actually just trying like heck not to go to Hell.  I used all of my spiritual energy on myself.

So we know that being a Christian means that we are Christ followers, but do we really understand what being a Christ follower means?  Being a follower means we desire a relationship.  We get to know the very core of who Jesus is.  We hear him and talk to Him.  We eat with Him and begin to invest our lives into His goals.  In this, we take on the nature of Him.  It’s like any other relationship we have, where we begin to talk and behave like the people we spend the most time with. 

Jesus wasn’t trying to save Himself from Hell.

In fact; Jesus, a perfect man, died with a body filled with the weight of all of our sins in order to save everyone ELSE from Hell.   Jesus lived His life to serve others, even those He didn’t know.  I feel like the term “personal relationship with Christ” needs to be nixed from every church service in the world.  It’s making our relationships with Christ seem like something we hold on to, when in reality we need to give it away.  It has this feeling of hiding, when it should have a feeling of proclaiming.  We should be introducing our friend Jesus to anyone and let Him begin to touch their hearts.  But it seems like we hold on to Him like He’s our possession, talk about Him like He’s not really here, pull out 5 points to a get out of Hell free card, and then tuck Him away into our private devotional time or structured church services. 

So that brings up the question once again:  why are you a Christian?

The more and more I read the words of Jesus, the more and more I realize that it’s not just about my salvation.  The more and more I seek Jesus the more I realize that Jesus isn’t just my Holy Cash Machine.  The more and more I talk to Jesus, the more He tells me that if it’s all about me then it’s not about Him.  If I’m a Christian to avoid Hell, I’ve missed the point of Christ.

The point of Christ is to advance the Kingdom of God.

Like David

by Scott Wetzel

“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2^nd Cor 12:10 (NIV)

  

In 1464, an artist named Agostino di Duccio was commissioned to create a statue of David from a chunk of marble over 17ft tall and weighing over 6 tons.  The man (under the supervision of Donatello) began to work on it but after 2 years gave up.  He had a vision but the rock was too large and cumbersome to work with.  His vision was not working with the size of the rock.

The marble lay in storage for many years.

Then an artist named Antonio Rossellino decided that he could do it.  He began to carve and chisel away at the chunk but only worked for a couple of months.  The years in storage had begun to deteriorate the marble.  The stone had many defects and the original tool marks left by di Duccio had created even more flaws.  Those flaws made it nearly impossible for an artist to really do anything with this.  His vision was not working with the imperfect nature of the rock.

So a marred, damaged and unformed chunk of marble sat in storage, destined to be worthless.

It was ruined by years of mishandling and broken visions.

A 26 year old unknown apprentice sculptor named Michelangelo was assigned to make this junk rock into something.  Michelangelo decided to make the statue into what it should be and not what an artist wanted it to be.  He saw the flaws and blemishes and scars left by the abandoning artists of its past and began to use those to the strength of the statue.  Instead of working around these weak points, he worked with these weak points.  He eventually finished: creating one of the most famous works of art of all time.

Something beautiful, strong and enduring created out of a scarred, flawed, discarded piece of stone...

Church?

By Scott Wetzel

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Heb 10:25 (NIV)

One of the greatest things about the small church I spent most of my formative years in was the potluck.  I loved potlucks not just because I ate a lot (which I did) or because of vast choices of food (which there was).  I loved potlucks because it gave me a chance to hang out with people in the church.  We’d eat and talk and talk and eat and share stories and run around and just have fun.  It was spending time with friends.  It was the Church.

Church isn’t about the teaching.  Yeah, I know, we go to church and listen to a sermon.  Some of us show up late because there is singing and we don’t have good singing voices or it’s too loud or it’s too quiet so it’s not for us.  Some of us jet out as soon as the service is done because we’ve got places to be or games to watch.  Some of us leave towards the end of service because communion is coming and though it SEEMS important, we don’t really understand its importance so we’d rather not spend the time in liturgy when we could be beating the church crowd at Claim Jumpers.  But really, if you go to church for the teaching, you are severely missing out. 

While teaching is important, the author of Hebrews implores us to not give up on meeting together NOT because we might miss out on some really important information.  He says to meet together to encourage one another.  It’s really hard to encourage one another when we show up late and leave early.  It’s really hard to encourage one another when we don’t come on a regular basis because we’ve figured out who is leading worship on what Sunday.  It’s really hard to encourage one another when we put on our happy church face the minute we get to the doors and never admit that we are broken people that need Jesus.

Church is ultimately not about getting fed.  If it is, then you are poorly nourished.  You need to learn how to feed yourself and how to help feed each other.   Read the Word, rely on God, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit on a regular basis at home.   Church isn’t a school; it’s a community that needs to thrive with relationships, iron sharpening iron in order to persevere in a world that hates righteousness and justice.  The four walls are a great place to build that endurance.  We learn about each other, our struggles and failings, our giftings and rewards.  As we open ourselves up to this we begin to be accountable in so many different ways.  We receive accountability not only in our spiritual walk, but also in our relationships with one another.   The unity created in those relationships begins an amazing communal worship time.  It’s people singing with one voice in a beautiful chorus to the living God (no matter how off key or off rhythm YOU think you are).

It’s when we show up and show up early we can then begin to breathe life into the Sunday morning service.  That’s how we get to know each other.  That’s how we can begin to trust each other.  That’s how we can begin to open up to each other.  It’s when we realize that we are broken people that are only put back together by the blood of Jesus that we can truly accept anyone into our community.  It’s when the lost see that we aren’t perfect but we are redeemed that they will begin to wonder and ask questions.  It’s the breaking of bread and the trading of stories that is a catalyst for that momentum. 

I think we need a potluck.

Idealism vs. Realism

By Scott Wetzel

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12 (NIV)

One of the on going battles in the world we live in is the idealists vs. realists.  Sometimes it’s a political battle that results in name calling (socialists vs. capitalists, entitled vs. hard working), sometimes it’s a physical battle, but ultimately it’s a spiritual battle.

I’m battling that right now.

My wife and I were speaking to a pastor friend of ours and he sparked some inner turmoil.  We were talking about church planting and the subject of artsy churches vs. linear churches came up.  Obviously, it struck a chord with me.  You’d know that if you read my blog last week.  It’s still striking a chord with me.  But it’s becoming more and more personal. 

I’ve noticed something in American Christianity that is a bit frightening to me.  We’ve pared down the Holy Spirit and made Him be something that’s personal.  Now, I’m not saying the Holy Spirit isn’t a personal entity.  What I am saying is the Holy Spirit isn’t JUST there for us.  He’s there to alter the reality of the world.  Whenever that aspect of the Holy Spirit gets talked about, though, I notice people trailing off and squirming uncomfortably.  We are a little scared of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us.  We like to be filled with the Holy Spirit but don’t overflow or people will see.  We do the same thing with love a lot of the time.

Jesus didn’t die, rise and ascend just to show the power of God.  He did this so He could be a personal advocate for us to the Father.  When we pray in His name, for His glory, He will champion our cause.  We don’t need a priest anymore; we just need our friend, Jesus.   But that’s not all.  He sent His Holy Spirit to not just be our personal guide so we can make realistic decisions that will make us into good little middle class citizens.  He sent His Holy Spirit so we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.  That means that we’ll probably have to make some pretty uncomfortable decisions.

I’m there right now.  I don’t like making uncomfortable decisions.  In fact, I don’t know what the right decision is.  So I’m waiting for a minute.  But in the back of my mind I keep asking what I would do if I were ACTUALLY the hands and feet of Jesus.  I honestly don’t like the answer.  I’m not sure if that’s a denial of what God wants.  I’m not sure if the cynicism of American Christianity has caught up with me and I’m basing my decisions on realism and not on idealism. 

I’m pretty sure God really wants us to be idealists.  He set up His creation to be ideal.   We were created to know good and not evil.  The realists in the garden ruined that one by deciding they should tow the line.  He wanted us to be idealists on the road to the Promise Land but, again, the realists ruined that one.  He wanted us to be idealists when His Son came to earth but, one more time, the realists ruined it.  Are we doing that again?  If we are, are we ruining God’s plan for this earth?  Did Jesus pray “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” as a metaphor, or did He really intend for us to bring the ideal to this world?

Obviously these are all rhetorical questions.   In the end I can only come to this conclusion:  Idealism is what God desires and realism is what the enemy convinces us to accept.

The Linear Chosen

By Scott Wetzel

 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Is. 43:19 (NIV)

  

It seems like the world as a whole has taken the lazy way out when it comes to art.  Hollywood remakes old movies.  Pop music isn’t any different today than it was 20 years ago.  Country music isn’t any different today than pop music was 20 years ago. Thomas Kincaid is still painting the same shack with the same sunset.  Even the styles we dress in are rehashed from eras gone by.  There is a crisis of creativity.

And I haven’t helped much with that.  I’m afraid to break out of the mold.  Maybe it’s my upbringing or maybe it’s peer pressure, but I don’t like to stray too far from path.  People that are only acquainted with me might balk at this next statement, but extending my creative wings is scary and painful. 

To me, the scariest place on earth to be outside of the box is in church.  In fact, some of the loudest complaining I’ve ever heard is in the church.  It’s a rare occasion that I’ve been to a club to see a concert and someone complains about how loud the music is.  Or been to a conference where there is a speaker and people complain that they didn’t get fed in the way they thought they should.  People go to those places for a reason…it’s to extract an energy that they don’t get from listening to a record or reading a book.

We go to worship services for the same reason.  We are there to experience God in a different way.  In a communal way.  We fellowship with other believers, worship with the Body of Christ, and hear the Word of God in a new light.  But if it’s a bit different than last week, we get upset and begin to shore up the purse strings or look for a different church home.

It’s as though the system has been set up for the Linear Chosen.

Now we’re in a pickle, though, because we’ve decided to settle.  We’ll stifle our creativity within the confines of the church in order to keep satisfied those that aren’t willing to reach outside of the box.  In the process we’ve lost all of the artists to the enemy.  We’ve alienated creative thinkers.  The church of the left brain is in session while the church of the right brain is struggling. 

Don’t we serve a God of the whole brain?  Doesn’t God love linear thinkers as much as He loves creative thinkers, and vice versa?  I believe that God created everyone to worship Him in unity, not because all of our brain processes work the same, but because He is the common denominator.  Can’t we have liturgy AND creative thinking?  That’s what God does.  He’s the same yesterday, today and forever, all the while He’s creating and molding and shaping.  Let’s let the church be an image of God.