Shepastor: “My prayer for you during this Season and the Coming New Year…”

Dear Shepastor Friends,

Thank you for reading, sharing and responding to Shepastor. During this season when we remember, in a special way, God’s love for us all and the gift of His precious Son, Jesus, My prayer for you is the prayer of the Psalmist…

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
3 May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
9 Save, LORD!
May the King answer us when we call.

Psalm 20, NKJV

From my family to yours,
Merry Christmas!

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "Practical Support and Encouragement for One Another..."

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). Matthew 1:23, NIV

Studies show that the holiday season can be a very difficult time for many. While some families are hustling and bustling about, having meals together, sharing gifts, receiving guests, dressing up their homes, etc., others are grieving the loss of loved ones, broken relationships, or never having the mate, companion, lover, home, children etc., of their dreams. Tidings of “comfort and joy” have eluded some.

Reflecting upon the Nativity scene, something very practical may escape us as we bathe in the glory of the “new born King…” Mary and Joseph struggled to find a place for her to give birth to the baby. “No room in the Inn…,” only a dirty stable amidst some animals. Yet the Lord saw fit to send an angel to go and tell some folks to be with them. Yes they went to behold the baby Jesus. But could it also be that the Lord wanted to remind Mary and Joseph that they were not alone – that “God was with them?” He called some shepherds, even some kings, even some animals to be with them as they gave birth to the Son of God. Even at Jesus’ birth, the Lord was letting us know that we need encouragement and support.

People, having been told that there is no room for them are surrounded by stinking stables (so to speak). The elderly forgotten in nursing homes, the children in foster care, the prisoners returning to society, the poor who have received notice of yet another food stamp cut, the sick and shut in, retired pastors and even some “working” pastors…no room – go to the stable!

Suicide is on the rise. People are lonely, broken and suffering in silence. Instruction manuals, workshops, and panel discussions abound. But when they return home, the pain still exists – the pain of loneliness, rejection, depression, being overwhelmed etc. Can we do some practical things? Can we be like the shepherds and go and be with them in the birthing process? Can we push past the proverbial and sometimes literal stench of their “stables” and be with them? Can we visit, pick up the phone and call, send cards – dare to have an “in human” touch in this age of technology?

Consider a child’s description of true friends…

They keep our secrets
They tell us their secrets
They remember my birthday!
They always make sure I’m included in fun things
They know when I’m sad and ask me why
When I miss school because I’m sick, they ask their moms to call to check on me

Taken from Brene` Brown’s book, Daring Greatly (Gotham Books-Penguin Group, Inc., 2012, p. 49)
And a child shall lead them…May we “dare” to be shepherd-friends in practical ways. Lives are at stake.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "Lessons of Transformation from the Life of Nelson Mandela..."

Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

This week the world paused to remember, arguably, one of the greatest men who ever lived. Heads of States from around the world, including our own President Barak Obama, went to South Africa to pay tribute to the life and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Today’s Shepastor will not attempt to recount every aspect of historical specifics or a timeline, but rather, a sweeping overview of some powerful changes that happened within the late President Mandela’s heart, mind and soul...something that challenges us to be transformed as well.

Born in an aristocratic family, blessed with a high level of education and becoming a lawyer in South Africa meant that this “Black South African” could have lived out his life apart from the most brutal and oppressive aspects of the Apartheid system. However, he was not content to see his fellow brothers and sisters remain in such conditions. Pain and anguish swept over his soul as he watched the horrors of hatred and deep seeded racism play out in severe economic oppression, mutilation and bloody murder in the streets. Rebellion, hatred and even revenge bubbled up in his spirit. Wrongful imprisonment for 27 years…labeled a terrorist…considered a menace to society…why? He dared to challenge evil. But in the midst of hate, in the midst of pain, in the midst of injustice – God spoke to Mandela’s heart. He chose love over hate, reconciliation over revenge, peace over war, negotiation over separation….Love is stronger than death.

Former President Bill Clinton shared that when he asked President Mandela how he felt all of those years in prison, didn’t he hate his oppressors, he reportedly responded,

“Yes, for about 11 years. But one day while breaking rocks I thought, ‘they’ve kept you in prison, they’ve destroyed your marriage, they’ve robbed you of seeing your children grow up. They’ve taken all of these things but you have to give them your heart and mind. That day, I said I will not give them my heart and mind by continuing to hate them. I choose to be free…’”

Like Jesus, like Paul, like Martin, Mandela chose something radical – more radical than rebellion, more radical than revenge, more radical than so called terrorism. Mandela chose love…not to behave as if nothing happened, but “strategic love.” He worked with leaders from around the world to build a peaceful coalition that used economic sanctions against the apartheid regime. He worked with Bishop Desmond Tutu to hold the “Truth and Reconciliation” hearings that helped bring closure to the families that lost loved ones to the brutality of the Praetorian Police. He calmed the fears of White South Africans that under his leadership they would experience what they’d done to the rest of the country.

Certainly, Mandela could relate to David’s transformational prayer...

Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Something deep down inside of Mandela caused him to realize that he wanted to be better than the oppressor. He did not want to become that which he claimed to despise. He cried, “search me… know me…lead me…” May we too find the strength to overcome evil with good by praying “Search me oh God…”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "Daring Greatly..."

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the fatih…” II Timothy 4:7, KJV

Today I’d just like to share a powerful, searching and compelling quote extracted from Brene` Brown’s book, Daring Greatly. This quote is not original with her, but she uses it to assert some powerful insights into what it means to live “wholeheartedly.” She quotes Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, “Citizenship in a Republic,” given in Paris, France, April 23, 1910…

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,

Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…”

May we, by faith, “dare greatly” in our work for the Kingdom!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris