encourage

The 10 and 2 Position

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dummyA couple of weeks ago I listened the podcast of a message by Ben Applebee at Watermark OC Church. Watermark OC had a series on Legacy and Ben wrapped up the series with Biological Legacy. I pray you’ll take the opportunity to check out Ben’s message, if not the whole four part Legacy series. Ben’s portion of the series walks us through the biological and spiritual raising up of our kids, at home and at church, to reach the Christ shaped outcome of a discipled life.

In Biological Legacy, Ben mentioned “helicopter parents,” and provided a video illustration, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis commercial, “Dad’s Sixth Sense“, that is hilarious! While the dad in the commercial is able to snatch his son from imminent harm throughout his time-lasped-years growing up, “Helicopter parents” are those parents who have only five senses so they over protect and over save and ultimately under prepare their children to be real adults who are able to navigate our real world.

The commercial illustration actually reminded me of the time my son was just learning to walk. I was sitting on the edge of the bed in our master bedroom and my son was walking to me. Big smile on his face, mirroring the proud, excited smile on mine. As he came within arm’s distance from me he tripped and fell, and I didn’t react fast enough. When I lifted him up from hitting his head on the metal bed frame, him screaming and me hurting along with him, I saw the gash on his forehead that I knew would need stitches–eight to be exact.

I have the very same feelings telling that story today as I had when it happened–heartbreak for his heartbreak, my own heartbreak, and GUILT FOR DAYS! The “what-if’s” still run through my mind, but I have always known that I wouldn’t always be able to catch or wouldn’t be there to catch my son when he fell. That’s one of the toughest aspects of being a parent, even tougher than the things you think you could or should have been able to control (or in my case, catch).

Like our relationship with God The Father, we are not in control. Just the same, though our relationship with God is our choice, He doesn’t control us. We have free will whether we’re in control or give Him the steering wheel. And though parents have their hands at the 10 and 2 position of their children’s steering wheel, the roads are icy, have pot holes, are unpaved, and no matter if we turn into the skid or finesse the wheel to avoid danger, a kid’s going to do what a kid’s going to do even if it means crashing into the guardrail.

Father God shows up (actually He is with us before, during and after we wrap our car around the guardrail) and rescues us, but He doesn’t live our life for us. And though He rescues, there are real life consequences.

If we as parents are consistent (Deuteronomy 6:6-7/Proverbs 22:6) and never afraid to show that we are mere flesh and bones, but lead, parent, then we provide our children a base for “success.” God showed us His flesh and bones through His Son. Jesus modeled His Father’s desires for us, His children, for “success.” Its up to all who know Jesus to model Him so God get’s what He desires, and so do we. Sure, we fail in weakness at times, but if we simply cry, “Abba! Father!,” He is faithful to hear.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-17

Peace and joy,
Steve

twitter/instagram @stevedubu1

(Ben Applebee is pastor for The Garage ministry (students, grades 7-12) at Watermark OC Church in Costa Mesa, California. Ben has a young family and is an super positive bundle of joy and energy for Jesus, and is blessed with knowledge and wisdom beyond his years. I wanted to highlight his work in honor of those like Ben who come along side parents each Sunday, Wednesday night, at youth camp, “like a father with his children,” to exhort and encourage each one “to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” A shout out to Mark Jackson (aka that’s @MrMarkJackson to you, Steve) who is Youth Pastor at Pacific Church in Irvine, CA and blogs out of Equipped for Christ; and to Kenny Conley (@kennyconley) the NextGen Pastor at Gateway Church in Austin, TX, who has an amazing resource, Children’s Ministry Online; and last but NOT least, Stan Lake, who has a wonderful and unique ministry for young and old alike through Catching Creation, though I think our youth may connect in more ways with @Stan_Lake than older, squeamish crowds. Each of these men and so many women and men like them across the country bless our children with sound teaching, prayer and love in Jesus Christ. Please remember to keep your own youth pastor in prayer and let them know they are valued.)

Surrounded by Evildoers & Mockers?

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joy 11Doesn’t the boy in the photo (not me) look like he’s having the time of his life? Although you may never have ridden your bike as the snow began to fall, I hope there has been a time in your life when you experienced abounding joy! I’m also hoping you’ve had that joy more than once!

One of the times I experienced over-the-top joy was the time I saw my first snow fall. Our family moved from Southern California to McPherson, Kansas when I was in third grade. I attended a two story brick school, with lots of windows for this eight-year-old to daydream through.

Although I sat in a center row, I sat far enough toward the back to keep my eyes on the teacher but mind and peripheral vision out those windows. One day in early December something outside the glass caught my attention. Some white blur moving slightly left to right, but falling! My eyes slashed toward the windows to focus and my head followed to comprehend. What is that?!? “SNOW,” I shouted out as I leaped from my desk chair and bounded to the windows to see my first snow fall, as up close and personal as possible!

“It’s snowing! Look, snow,” I shouted with my nose pressed against the cool window, moving quickly to another pane because my shouts had steamed up the prior.

Just as suddenly as I had realized and broken the silence of study with my discovery of snow fall, I became aware of my lone enthusiasm. I peaked over my shoulder toward the chalk board to see my teacher’s mouth agape. “Was she dumbfounded by the weather as well?” I soon realized that she was reacting to me.

I don’t remember her exact words, but I do remember her tone and the tone of laughter from my classmates as I made my way back to my seat at her direction. One of the comments I do recall, “Haven’t you seen snow before?” I didn’t answer her, at least I knew I shouldn’t do that, but, no, I hadn’t ever seen snow fall.

That was a tough Fall and early Winter. Lots of firsts and no friends to share them with.

In the book, “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that “Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies…On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God.” As Christians, we too are placed smack dab in the middle of a world full of evildoers and mockers. But Bonhoeffer reminds us of God’s consoling promises to His scattered people, “scattered like seed ‘into all the kingdoms on earth’ (Deuteronomy 28:25). ‘I will…gather them; for I have redeemed them;…and they shall return” (Zechariah 10:8,9).

When will that happen? It has happened in Jesus Christ, who died “that he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:52), and it will finally occur visibly at the end of time when the angels of God “shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). Until then, God’s people remain scattered, held together solely in Jesus Christ,” His Holy Spirit (The Helper) and His Word (The Word became Flesh).

And according to Bonhoeffer, “God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man. Therefore, the Christian need another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs a brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation.”

Yes, we are to be disciples (Matthew 28:19) but also instructed to encourage one another and build up (Thessalonians 4:18, 5:11, Hebrews 10:25)., and as Bonhoeffer points out, “God Himself taught us to meet one another as God has met us in Christ. ‘Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God’ (Romans 15:7).” He later adds, “Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of us…it remains so for all the future and to all eternity.

“The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more everything else between us will recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.” How amazingly close that is in and through Jesus, so that no one stands at the window watching snow fall alone or any other first!

I pray God’s blessings and joy in Christ and fellowship each day and every day for each and every one of you! “The fellowship of believers,” Bonhoeffer writes, “is woven into the Christmas story, the baptism, the miracles and teaching, the suffering, dying, and rising again of Jesus Christ. It participates in the very events that occurred on this earth for the salvation of the world, and in doing so receives salvation in Jesus Christ.”

Peace and joy,
Steve

twitter/instagram: @stevedubu1