2 Words in Heaven

I recently heard someone on the radio say that he couldn't wait to hear God's first words to him in heaven: "Well done." This is a reference to Jesus' parable in Matthew 25, in which a master entrusts money to his servants to invest while the master is away. Those who invest well receive the master's commendation when he returns: "Well done, you good and faithful servant."

Lots of Christians serve God with enthusiasm and energy, hoping to hear those two words. Of course we want to use our resources well, to be good stewards. We Americans are achievers, and we want to achieve all we can for Jesus. We want him to be proud of us. We want him to wonder what he would do without us. We want to earn his respect.

Some of us may wonder if we are doing enough. What if Jesus doesn't give us the high five of superior production? What if we could have done better?

Sadly, the truth is that we all could have done better. Uh oh. Maybe we idolize those words of congratulations from Jesus. Maybe we really want to worship our resumes, and get God to follow us on Instagram. We achievers want some by-God recognition, especially there in heaven where everybody's watching.

Could we be missing the point?

I'm not sure that Jesus will tell me, "Well done." I have certainly not maximized achievement with the resources given to me. And frankly, I don't especially want to hear that from him.

The two words I long to hear from Jesus are:

"Hi Dave!"

7 Types of Friends

As I reflect on the power of relationships, I see that there are different ways that people approach friendship.  I'm just making this stuff up, but it seems to make sense.  Here are some types of friends that I see.

The Hider avoids relationships at every turn.  He enters every conversation looking for a way to end  He may fear being exposed, or may feel inadequate.  The hider wants to be discovered, but doesn’t feel worthy.  He wants to see the other person make the effort, because only then can he tell if that person truly wants to be friends.

The Diver jumps right in.  She has never met a stranger.  She tells you her life story in the grocery line.  Everyone is interested in her life, or so she thinks.  The diver gets in too deep too fast in nearly every relationship, and often gets hurt.  The diver shares so much information, that it overwhelms her friends.  Others may find themselves avoiding divers.

The Runner runs from relationship.  It’s hard to catch a runner.  He will avoid commitment, and cancel plans with flimsy excuses.  Runners are content to be alone, and don’t believe that Jesus wants to bless them through friendships.  Friendship is valuable, but he would rather observe it than experience it.

The Stone Waller is an easy person to get to know—at first.  This person makes friends easily, but only allows people to get so close.  When the relationship reaches a certain point, the stone waller refuses to go deeper.  Such people have experienced hurt with too much vulnerability, and they don’t want to go there again.  They may have lots of shallow friends, and constantly see people go in and out of their lives.

The Tiptoer goes into relationship slowly.  She gradually gains trust and earns respect.  The tiptoer counts the cost of friendship very carefully.  She wants deep friendships, but finds it difficult to open up.  When she feels betrayed or let down by someone, she takes that person off the deep friendship track in her life.  She may have lots of friends, but only a few close friends.  

The Clinger constantly looks for one person to escort him through life.  This is a needy person who will use up anyone who openly befriends him.  The clinger may turn on someone who begins pulling away.

The Normal Person is a fictitious creation that we all imagine is out there somewhere.  Well, maybe not. But I think that even normal people sometimes slide into one of the patterns above. Our challenge is to love people, even when they act weird.  And we can hope that others will love us when we are.  

Even more amazing is that God uses all these weird people in our lives to shape us into more godly people.  Only God could do that.

Tony Bennett, wow

University of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett did a mind-blowing thing this week. He turned down money. He has enough.

What?

(See this CNBC.com article.)

Who turns down a raise? What national championship coach says, "No thank you," to more?

When the University of Virginia administration offered the new contract terms, Bennett said they were "very gracious in what they offered me as a potential contract, but I have a very good contract." He went on to say, "I have more than enough, and if there are ways that this can help out the athletic department, the other programs and coaches, by not tying up so much [in men's basketball], that's my desire."

Furthermore, Bennett gave a half million dollars to an initiative to help UVA basketball players with career training.

At 50 years of age, Bennett gets it. As rewarding as power and money can be, they are not what life is about. He obviously cares about people, relationships, and a well-rounded athletic program. He puts his principles into practice.

With his rejection of this lucrative contract, Bennett is saying more than mere words could possibly say. He's saying more than he could ever say by taking the money.

He is inspiring his players, his institution, and the world of sports to live for something that an agent could never negotiate for.

Maybe some of us have been chasing after the wrong things.

A New Thing

Nothing is older than God. But as old as he is, God still does new things.

He has been thinking about new things for a long time. In Isaiah 43, God says,

See, I am doing a new thing! 
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

God is still doing new things today. As we continue our "All Things New" series this Sunday, we will explore the new things God is doing today.

God is always doing new things. Unfortunately we may not perceive it. There's a new sunrise, a new opportunity, a new baby, new wine, new harvest, new moon.

God is doing a new thing today. Don't miss it!

Are you ready for something new?

Every fall makes me think about newness. Maybe it's a throwback to my days as a student. Every fall is a new school year, with new notebooks, class schedules, maybe some new clothes; new classes, new teachers, new friends. As students go back to school in the fall, I feel the newness with them.

And God likes new things, too. He's always doing something new.

We're beginning a new sermon series in worship this Sunday, "All Things New." Just think about all the new things in scripture: new creation, new song, new thing, new birth, new wine, new command, new covenant, new mind.

Maybe it's time for something new in your life. When your faith feels old, tired, and dusty, it's time for the new that Jesus brings. God takes newness to a whole other level.

Super-Sized Serving this August!

At Crossroads we are challenging our folks to a 31-day challenge. In the month of August, we are urging our congregation to serve someone each day in an intentional, non-routine way. It could be as simple as making a special effort to pick up that piece of litter in the grocery store parking lot. Or it could be something major like committing to foster a child. 

The point is this: each day, do some act of service that you would not ordinarily do--or become more intentional about a customary act of service. Tune in to the leadership of God's Spirit, and let him show you how acts of kindness make a difference. To help you think of ways to serve, both big and small, we have created a list.  

Get ready for your month of service. Here are some ways to prepare.

• Print out the list of Super-Sized Serving ideas and check the ones you could do.
• Put on your calendar some of the time intensive service opportunities, like volunteering at a charity.
• Ask a friend or family member to join you on some of your serving "capers."
• Set a daily reminder on your phone, so you will be tuned in for random acts of service.
• Get creative and brainstorm with friends about ways to serve.
• Get ready to have fun and see the Spirit of God at work!

Super-Sized Serving Ideas

Super-Sized Serving Ideas for August, 2019

Get ready to have some fun serving others! This list provides some ideas to get you thinking about how you can make a difference in people’s lives. There are easy, quick ideas and big commitment ideas. We have made four categories to help you think about various places for serving. Let’s take the Love of Jesus to a whole new level. Find some way to serve every day this August!

Home

Do someone else’s chores.

Text a friend to say you are praying for them.

Pray for a missionary or missions agency.

Pray for someone who is not on your usual prayer list.

Keep an exchange student.

Foster a child.

Complete the “honey-do” item that you have avoided.

Pray for the first 5 people in your Facebook or Instagram feed.

Leave a love note for a family member.

Bring home fresh flowers.

Ask a family member, How can I pray for you?, and follow up.

Give opportunity for a family member to take a nap.

Let someone serve you who offers.

Clean out the refrigerator.

Weed the flower bed.

Sweep the garage.

Neighborhood

Bake a pie for a neighbor.

Mow for a vacationing neighbor.

Babysit for a friend.

Offer to tutor others on tech issues.

Invite a neighbor to go for a walk.

Play music at a nursing home.

Take a friend to coffee and really listen to their story.

Host a “get to know you” meal for your neighbors.

Listen intently to a kid’s stories.

Sign up to coach a sport.

Host a bingo night at a nursing home.

Visit someone in the hospital.

Take meal to someone in need.

Prepare care packages for college students.

Harvest your garden and share with a neighbor.

Order a pizza (and pay for it) for a friend close by or far away.

Sign up to be a “lunch buddy” at a local school.

Public

Help a stranger haul groceries.

Buy a meal for a stranger at a fast food restaurant.

Visit a prison.

Leave a thank you note for a waiter.

Search Craigslist for someone in need and help them out (don’t go alone).

Sell a luxury item and donate the money to someone in need.

Teach a class about your passion at your church building.

Art, tech, business, fashion, décor, carpentry, etc.

Keep a cooler of water bottles in your car on a hot day; give them away to thirsty people.

Post on Facebook, “How can I help you?” and follow up with the comments.

Pick up (a piece of) trash in a parking lot.

Help someone holding a cardboard sign.

Read to children at a Public school.

Help serve a meal or snack for teachers and staff.

Provide gift bags for teachers or parents.

Provide gift bags for first responders.

Walk your dog among people (e.g. college students) who miss their pets at home.

Deliver Meals on Wheels

Join in a workday

Piedmont Land Conservancy, Mountains to Sea Trail, your neighborhood, Habitat for Humanity, Camp Carefree

Charity

Make a craft to sell for Operation Christmas Child shipping.

Buy some food to donate.

Harvest your garden and share with a ministry.

Donate food to Good SamaritanMinistries or LOT 2540.

Join the bone marrow registry. www.Bethematch.org.

Mentor an ex-prisoner through Prison Fellowship.

Sponsor a child with The Mighty River Project, World Vision, Compassion International

Go through your closet and donate your unneeded clothes to LOT 2540.

Donate blood, or platelets, or double red.

Meet a need for your favorite charity.

Volunteer for a local helping organization:

LOT 2540, Good Samaritan, Operation XCEL, Library, Hospital, Nursing home

Play in a charity golf tournament.

Compete in a 5k charity race.

Help with a game night at Hannah’s Haven.

See http://www.recklesslyalive.com/50-ways-to-serve/ for other ideas.