"Lemons and Lemonade"

Yesterday, in worship, we talked about the fourth principle for our "Flight Plan for Living the Good Life." The fourth principle is "learn to make lemonade." I am not talking about getting the right mixture of water, lemon juice, and sugar. I am talking about the idea that when life gives us lemons, we make lemonade. Whenever I can, I try and give you a concrete "takeaway" with every sermon, something that specifically answers the question, "so what?" Yesterday, however, I intentionally avoided doing so because the point that I really wanted to stress is that we need to get past the idea (or myth) that every problem or challenge that we face has one solution. Some problems cannot be solved. However, that does not mean that we cannot deal with them in a positive way. Remember the phrase that we talked about yesterday - redemptive possibility. The appropriate question to prayerfully ask is not always "how can I end this suffering?" Sometimes, the appropriate question to ask is, "where is God in this situation, and how can he redeem it?" That is sometimes a difficult question to ask because it is always our natural instinct to want to end suffering (especially our own). But, sometimes, suffering brings with it a gift. And if we work to hard to simply end it, than we run the risk of missing that gift. What gifts are hidden within our experience of suffering? That is a great question to ask in order to find out the redemptive possibilities in a situation

"Fighting Hunger"

Yesterday was one of those days that made me incredibly proud to be the pastor at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church. Our youth went without food for 30 hours to support the work of World Vision to alleviate hunger. While they were fasting, they also "took to the streets" of Anaheim Hill and essentially begged for food. All of the food that they received will be donated to Purple Ark Ministries, a local outreach to homeless people. While the youth were busy "foraging", many adults from the congregation were at the Orange County Food Bank filling boxes that will feed hungry people all over Orange County. In two hours, they prepared 933 boxes. This morning, we will be talking about when we gets lemons in life, making lemonade. In other words, learning to respond redemptively to difficult situations. It warms my hearts to see so many folks at my church already doing just that.

"Love Our Youth"

Foraging for food for Purple Ark Ministries. 

I am very proud of the LOTC youth. The just completed a 30-hour famine to raise money for World Vision. They made over $700. But, more than that, they experienced what it is like to really, really, really want food. We "broke the fast" with a simple celebration of Holy Communion and then shared a great spaghetti meal together. Great job youth.

"When Christians Get it Right"

Jesus' followers have been getting Jesus' message wrong since the beginning of our faith. The disciples, to quote Chris Berman, were "stumbling, bumbling, fumbling" idiots most of the time. And throughout the centuries, the church has revealed its propensity to get it wrong (and I am being kind here phrasing it that way) in glaring and dramatic ways - the inquisition, slavery, just to name a couple. However, God is faithul and continues to work in our spirits hoping to leading us to his kingdom. And every now and then, Christians actually live into Jesus' teachings. Every now and then, we get it right. I want to celebrate one such time. Check out this video on Youtube and see for yourself. There is still hope for us all.

"Spiritual Discipline"

Mark 9:14-29

Someone asked me once in a sarcastic (but loving) tone, "Pastor Jon, do you like sports?" I understand (and plead guilty) that I tend to use a sports metaphor or two in my sermons to illustrate my point. So, let's try something else. Have you ever seen a virtuoso musician, or a great painter or sculptor, that did not make a regular practice of the fundamentals of their craft in order sustain their abilities. The old adage that "practice makes perfect" bespircame an old adage because it is true. And the same truth that exists in sports, art, music, and pretty much every human endeavor, also exists in our faith. Practice makes perfect (or at least more perfect). God gives each one of us spiritual gifts - things that come naturally to us. The Apostle Paul wrote about these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. Go check it out. God gives us gifts for the purpose of building his kingdom. Our gifts were not given to us to profit ourselves. We cultivate those gifts through the practice of spiritual discipline. If we do not practice spiritual discipline, those gifts will wither away. This really is refreshingly simple. Will we be a people that cultivate the gifts that God has given us, that use those gifts to their utmost potential, or will we let out gifts wither away. The third principle of your "Flight Plan for Living the Good Life" is to practice spiritual discipline. So, let's get to it. 

"Glorifying God in Our Body"

I have been in ministry of one type or another for about 22 years. Never have I preached to taught about caring for our bodies. I am not proud of that. That is just the way it is. This past Sunday, I changed all that. The sermon title  was "Glorifying God in Our Body." Every now and then, I like to play with words a little just for the fun of it. This was one of those times. The sermon title was an intentional double entendre. The first meaning is simple - treating our bodies like a temple of God's holy spirit. However, there is a second meaning to the sermon title that I want to share with you. Glorifying God in our "body" also refers to our church community, specifically how we conduct ourselves. We are called to bear witness to others to the light of Christ in our midst. Part of that witness is how we treat our individual bodies. But, it is also about how we as a church body conduct ourselves. Do we encourage one another to treat their bodies as a temple? Do we set a standard for health and wellness? That is all a part of the witness that we provide to the world. This is just another reason for us to be mindful of how we treat our bodies. If you would like to share your insight about how you treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, go to the LOTC Facebook page, scroll down to the entry and add your thoughts.

Defining Success

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:11-19

We began a new sermon series yesterday entitled "Flight Plan for Living the Good Life." Our first sermon series of 2011 looked at the "big picture" of taking flight. Now, we are going to be looking at specific principles that, if we learn to put them in place, will help us to live a very good life in 2011. The first principle that we talked about was to have a clear and righteous definition of success. Yesterday, I talked about the fact that I learned an important lesson about defining success during one of my greatest failures, while being beaten soundly in a high school wrestling match. It is amazing what God can reveal to you about life when you spend six minutes doing a "neck bridge." It is what I call "good thinking time." Even a cursory reading of the bible reveals that God defines success in dramatically different ways than we are used to. But, it is important that we take some time to think about how we define success because our definition will impact how we live. Is our definition of success clear? Is it righteous (meaning is it consistent with God's will)? These are important questions to answer at the beginning of our year of transformation. Why? How will we know if we are being transformed if we do not know what it looks like. Take some time this week to work on your definition of success.  If you would like, post your thoughts on the LOTC Facebook page. 

"The Power of Faith?"

A friend showed me this video and I was trying to come up with an excuse to post it on the blog. Maybe it is about the power of faith. Maybe it is about becoming like a child as Jesus called his disciples to do. I don't know, but it's really fun, so I am sharing it with you.

"How Do You Define Success?"

This Sunday in worship, we are going to be talking about how we define success. I have prepared a small worksheet that can help you focus your thoughts. Below are my responses to the question "how do you define success?" I invite you to download the PDF of the worksheet from our Facebook page and develop your definition of success. 

1. Success is first and foremost defined by the love of God. Love defines the essence of God. Love is the force of creation and the moral center of the universe. Love has been knitted into the very fabric of creation. Love is manifest in kindness and justice in the world.

·      Genesis 2

·      1 Corinthians 13:1-13

·      1 John 4:7-12, 16-21

2.   Jesus is the Christian's model for success.

This seems like an obvious point. However, it is one that we in the church often miss. If Jesus is our model for success, than we must come to terms with the fact that Jesus was an utter failure by the standards of the society in which he lived (in the society in which we live, as well). Jesus' success was made possible only by his horrible "defeat" on the cross.

·      Luke 15:11-32

·      Luke 19:1-10

·      John 10:10

3.   Jesus' success was counter-cultural, even rebellious.

While Jesus did not pursue an overtly social/political agenda, his pronouncement of God’s kingdom, and his love and grace for the marginalized were profoundly political acts. His politics were those of a servant who went to Calvary, not of a politician on Capitol Hill.

·      Matthew 4:2-11

·      Matthew 9:9-13

·      Luke 6:1-11

·      John 9:1-41