A determined look ahead

I have abandoned my blog over the last ten months but now I'm determined to revisit it at least weekly in the new year. I hope you'll join me in the. New year.

Some of you regularly read my blog, "The Pastor's Heartbeat". I'm consolidating my blogging under this blog site and invite you to join me as I share my ramblings and rumblings about life and it's challenges for me. My hope is that the commonality of our human experiences will draw us together. I welcome your comments should you decide to join me in this journey.

I read the 86th Psalm for my devotions this morning. These words, simple as they are, grabbed my heart. "Make glad the heart of your servant, For to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you."  It's my cry to God this morning for a couple of obvious reasons.

1.  I want to experience a "glad heart". This often evades me because my focus on earthly things has the potential for dragging me down and into myself. Not a happy retreat.

2.  I want to embrace my place as a "servant"and  to resist my tendency to usurp God's place of  leadership in my life.

3.  I want to be entrenched in my intentional acknowledgement of who God is--good, forgiving and full of loving kindness. That is an invitation to cling to Him through the daily circumstances and challenges I encounter.

It's kind of the same old thing for me--understanding my emotional extravagances, "undoing" my selfish ambitions and "urging" my mind to stay focused on the faithfulness of God.

It's all a part of inventorying the old and inviting in the new as I come to the end of the year. Why not join me in this process of determining to look ahead with anticipation of drawing closer to a God who  is "ready to forgive and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Him".

How to spot a true disciple of Jesus...

Jesus is sharing what is commonly called the "Upper Room Discourse" in this portion of John 13-17 and He introduces what I believe to be a neglected truth with his disciples in John 13:34,35.

 "A new command I give you, Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

There are three critical things for me in these verses that impact my concern about how others are impacted by my Christian testimony as a follower of Christ.

1.  This is NOT a new command, that they love one another.

2.  There is, however a new characteristic of this love--"as I have loved you."  It would be instructive to see just how Jesus has loved them--from calling Matthew, loathed by the people as a tax collector, to Peter, an uncultured fisherman with a sense of impulsive bravado.  Jesus has loved them unconditionally and He will love them sacrificially.

3.  The culmination of this happening is that ALL men will know that these men are His disciples, true followers of Christ.

I am grieved by these words for they are not a picture of how we operate within the body of Christ.  How is it painfully possible that someone could disparagingly observe, "The church is the only army that shoots its wounded." Whether it is denomination vs. denomination, faction vs. faction, board vs. pastor, the church vs. the world, one member vs. another,etc.--it is clear that the picture painted of the church today is not one reflective of Christ's design of body life wherein when one part of the body suffers we all suffer, and when one part rejoices, we all rejoice together (see I Corinthians 12:26).  There is the often-ignored idea that as believers we "belong to one another".

This is not about whether or not we should cry out against heresy that diminishes the authority of the Word of God or the deity of Christ; rather, it is about how we treat other believers with whom we may disagree, or from whom we feel estranged.  

The world is confused.  What they see as they view the church is something unfortunately different than what we are commanded by Jesus to do.  His example is one for us to remember, especially when we contemplate His unconditional and sacrificial love for us.

I want ALL who know me to know that I am a true disciple of Christ.  Here's the way I can do it, by God's grace--"simply" love my brother disciple as Jesus loves me.

Living in a Post-Christian World

The recent Supreme Court decision to seek to normalize same sex marriage is a wake-up call for me.  That, coupled with an excellent message from my pastor yesterday (see Graceslo.org for a copy of the 7-5-15 message entitled, "What Does the Bible Say about Living in a Post-Christian Culture?"), has reminded me of several important scriptural truths from l Peter 2:13-25 in guiding how I engage the culture today.  Remember the context--Peter is writing to the fledgling first century church living under the tyranny of the Roman government,

1.  It is God's will that "by doing right" we may "silence the ignorance of foolish men".  Here the emphasis is on "right" behavior, verse 15.

2.  If for the "sake of conscience towards God" I endure suffering in doing this, this "finds favor" with God, verse 19.

3.  I have been "called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for me leaving me an example for me to follow in His steps", verse 21.

Here is the critical point of this passage for me as a disciple seeking to "follow in His steps"; how did Christ, then, model the behavior that I should embrace that is "right"?  Verses 22,23 instruct me.

1.  There must be no "deceit in my mouth"--not a lack of credibility in what I say--that being the measure of my intent and the verifiable connection between what I say and what I do.

2.  I must nor "revile" those who revile me--not threatening naysayers--or seeking to vilify those who criticize or seek to humiliate me.

3.  I must continually "entrust myself to Him who judges righteously", knowing that He is "the Shepherd and Guardian of my soul".  There is an undeniable safety and security in this.

God's Word is clear about the design and sanctity of marriage.  It is so sacred in His sight that He uses it to characterize the mystery of the relationship that exists between Christ and His church.  Though the Supreme Court has acted it has not served to redefine marriage or to normalize same sex marriages.  They remain outside of God's design and purpose for marriage. (See THE MEANING OF MARRIAGE, Tim Keller)

For this changeless truth of God's Word, seeking to model the behavior of Jesus (by grace alone), I will continue in this sadly post-Christian culture, to "speak the truth in love".  I hope you will join me.

I've been away...but I am back--I think.  It's my desire to faithfully blog again after a  time away adjusting to a whole new life, featuring semi-retirement, grandchildren, some exploring and traveling,  and the establishment of my new ministry here on the Central Coast.

Here's what I am learning after eighteen months here...

1.  It's okay to relax.  Too much of my life I have been hounded by the tyranny of the urgent.  Even now I have to fight off the urge to be productive so people will take notice of me.  The luxury of discretionary time is one I'm learning to steward--I'll keep you posted on how well I'm doing.

2.  It's fun to read books not related to my work.  I am reading lots of fiction                      recommended by friends and other meaningful books about the human condition.  It helps me keep my aging mind sharp, and reminds me of the skills needed to be a good writer--a latent goal of my mine.

3.  Family matters.  Eight grandchildren nearby and four over 2000 miles away challenge me to remember the importance of being a good grandpa, an assignment I relish, but a skill I am still refining through practice.

4.  A good wife is a valuable treasure.  I love growing old with Beverly.  She continues to brighten every day with her beauty--both outward and inward.

5.  The desire for ministry is still burning in my soul.  Counseling, teaching, mentoring, working with the homeless, missionary work in Haiti--all these and more keep me fulfilled, and motivated to invest my gifts in serving those around me.


Your season of life may be different but I would like to think that these five things are significant for you as you determine what matters most.  Getting older has the added benefit of providing a filter for processing things that would steal from our daily quest for significance.  I am glad for my sixty-seven years,  Here's to staying in the school of learning!

Catching Up...

I am acclimating to semi-retired life in San Luis Obispo County and the various challenges of starting a new counseling business here,  Here are some highlights...

1. I have had about thirty different clients in my first year.

2.  The churches of SLO County have been utilizing me as a resource, especially Grace Church, led by my stepson, Tim Theule.

3.  I have had several college students from Cal Poly, and God has opened a door there for additional counseling through word of mouth.

4.  I am counseling two days a week--moving to Tuesdays and Wednesdays in December--and I hold open 12-13 counseling spots weekly.

5.  I am also doing mentoring and have about 6-8 who I have had the privilege of sharing with based on the fact I am old-er!  I am smiling as this is a wonderful season to share what god has taught me and continues to teach me.

I am enjoying other areas of service as well in the local church that have assured me that God is not done with me yet!

Thanks for those of you who have prayed for me and for the steady stream of clients who make this ministry worthwhile.

To God be the glory!

reflections on friends

We just returned from a  week with "old" friends.  We have a lot of history together and Bev and I both have been the beneficiaries of their love and kindness.  Here's a reflective acrostic on the vital elements of meaningful friendships...

F--eeling valued by people who know you well but still love you

R--econnecting without the need for getting reacquainted

I--nitiating contact for no apparent reason 

E--njoying familiar stories tinged with memories often rehearsed

N--avigating the changing seasons of life and laughing about them

D--oing spontaneous things together comfortably

S--haring pain and sorrow as well as joy and blessing with equal openness

H--ighlighting the "light bulb" moments of our continuing spiritual journeys

I--nvesting in active concern for and commitment to pray for each other's families

P--lanning the next time we will be together and hoping we don;t have to wait that long!


Thanks Dan and Carolyn, Jim and Laura--our friends!

Fog or Sunshine?

Summer is a 'mystical"  time on the Central Coast.  You have heard of "June gloom"?  We are in July and we are continuing to experience the early morning fog usually burning away to radiant sunshine in the afternoon. Today as I drove to work at 7:15 am north on Hwy 101 from Arroyo Grande, through Pismo Beach and Shell Beach, I drove over the top of the peak that is on the crest of Avila Beach and upon descending to the other side towards San Luis Obispo was greeted with...more fog!

That's not how it usually is the trajectory of where the highway peaks almost always reveals sunshine on the other side.  At 1:30 pm in between counseling clients, I drove to Avila Beach from my office and spent one glorious hour in beautiful sunshine walking on the beach

And then it was back to my office where I sit at my desk reflecting on the day.

Here's what I've been musing about...

It's hard to predict "June gloom" in your life, but foggy days are inevitable.

Generally--though not always--the other side of the mountain looks better.  If you can survive the trek to the top, it will generally be worth the effort.

There is a strange beauty in fog, accelerated by the idea it will soon pass.  Don't grieve the fog; rather, embrace  what lies behind it waiting to be revealed.

The glare of sunshine upon the hillside sometimes produces verdant green--when water is plentiful--and other times, golden brown, like today.  What is exposed by the sun with its shadows and hues produces a colorful tapestry of its own.  Life with its trials and triumphs produces a testimony punctuated by the messages of color and texture.

The fog and sunshine are closely yoked to each other, separated often by only minutes.  Their coming and going is impacted by natural forces that I am still learning. But they are both statements of life around me. They both, with respect for one another, echo hope for the calming coolness of the fog and the beckoning brightness of the sun.

It can all happen in a day, here on the Central Coast.

It could be your day--wherever you are--fog or sunshine.