Shepastor: "Lean in and Bend..."

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92: 12, ESV

Over the past few months I have been engaged in pool therapy for my knees. After breaking my ankle back in 2019, my osteoarthritis escalated and greatly impacted my walking and climbing of stairs - UGGH!!! Pool therapy has been wonderful, especially since the pool is intentionally warm. I also look forward to spending time in the heated whirl pool following intense exercise in the water!

Although I am doing much better, my knees still are not "100%." I cannot walk for very long distances without taking a break and stairs remain a challenge. On a positive note, I have lost 27 lbs., (WOO HOO) and am growing stronger daily. 

The other day, I discovered something that made a world of difference in my stair climbing. While in the water, I experience no pain when doing stair exercises because the water takes the pressure off of my joints. But on dry land, it's a different story. Although better, pain is remains a part of the picture on stairs. The other day, as I began my journey upstairs, I approached the steps differently. Rather than just bending my knee, I leaned in as I bent, placing my weight on my knee while I was leaning in. 

Wallah! No pain! I tried the same motion on the next stair. No pain! I continued all the way up the staircase, little to no pain! I immediately thought about the actions of "leaning and bending" in terms of our spiritual walk with the Lord. Sometimes during prayer, we don't lean into listening, waiting and hearing God's directives. Instead, we "stiffen" our hearts, our minds, our decisions, etc., refusing to bend or lean in to learn more. So often, we approach prayer with our minds already made up, making our experiences more challenging.

Consider Palm trees. They are famous for bending, but not breaking. They bend down during storms and strong winds. By leaning in and bending, they preserve their lives and ability to rebound and stand tall. We can learn a lot from palm trees! 

When we refuse to be flexible, malleable, or open to God's voice, God's leading, different options, new perspectives, fresh ways, increased pain sets in. We become weary and discouraged. When our plans don't prosper, the pain increases. But if we choose rather, like palm trees, to lean in and bend, we may still experience some level of pain and discomfort, but as our spiritual muscles become stronger, we will find it easier to navigate God's new terrain for us. We will continue to grow strong and stand tall through Christ. We will discover a new, that God's plans are the best plans for our lives.

Today, I encourage you to lean in and bend to God's will and purpose for your life. When you do so, healing, strength and fresh vision will come your way! 

In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org  

 

Shepastor: “Don’t Skip ‘Thanksgiving’…”

136 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

² O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁴ To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁵ To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁶ To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁷ To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

⁸ The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 136: 1-9, KJV

 

Commercialism has taken us by storm! Even my teenager said, “Mom, did you notice that the stores put out Christmas decorations on Halloween????” Is it really because people are excited about remembering the gift of the Christ child or is it something else?

It’s as if there is no “sale value” to the Thanksgiving holiday, so let’s just skip it. But we should never skip an opportunity to be thankful. More than turkeys, ham, dressing, pies and family gatherings, we should take this opportunity to deliberately refocus our thoughts upon our many reasons to embrace gratitude.

Someone might be saying, “So much is wrong in the world. There’s so much sickness, death, divisions and destruction. Why should we be thankful?” Let me share a few suggestions: 

Be Thankful…

v The Lord woke you up this morning – be thankful!

v Whatever you have been thru, you are alive to tell the story – be thankful!

v Everyday is a new opportunity to “flip the script” and do a new thing – be thankful!

v No matter your situation, God loves you, God is for you and God is with you – be thankful!

v In America, you have a voice, you can vote, you can make a difference – be thankful!

v If you have food on your table, if you can choose what you want to eat and have the ability to go and get it – be thankful!

v If you have a warm place to sleep – be thankful!

v If you can remember good times with loved ones either still with you or “on the other shore,” be thankful!

v If you are loved and can give love – be thankful!

v If you can help someone else – BE THANKFUL!!!

 

Being thankful, grateful, appreciative, changes your focus from all that is wrong to all that is right. Thankfulness helps you to have hope, because you still have breath in your body – change is possible! Thankfulness reminds you that through Christ, all things are possible. Thankfulness renews your energy and strength, because it forces you to realize all is not lost, you have been in the valley, but you are alive to tell the story!

 CHOOSE to be thankful.

 Oh give THANKS unto the Lord, for God is good and God’s mercy endureth forever!!! PRACTICE THANKFULNESS!

May you and your household have a healthy, safe, love-filled, peace-filled, joy-filled Thanksgiving season!

In Faith, Hope, Perseverance and THANKFULNESS,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org

 

 

Shepastor: “You Are Surrounded…”

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 1-3, NIV

Today as I watched the news, I witnessed a strong, courageous and determined woman challenge her colleagues to stand up for what was right, even if it was unpopular. The vast majority of her colleagues have chosen to ignore what is blatantly wrong in order to keep their seats. It appears that she is alone. She literally is one of two individuals that had the courage to stand. Yet, she stood.

As I considered this woman’s conviction to stand for right over wrong, even if it meant that she would be ostracized, criticized, cast out and cast down, I was inspired. The inspiration did not come from her platform or her party affiliation, but rather her tenacious spirit to be willing to “go it alone,” if it meant losing a seat that she had worked for, most of her life.

Sometimes people, due to fear of isolation, fear of being ostracized, fear of losing support, money, prestige, etc., will remain quiet or even defiant against what they know to be right. Young and older people are confronted by peer pressure. Employees fear retaliation from co-workers or even their bosses. Church people fear being frowned upon, cast out or called vicious names.

It is hard to stand alone! But we must remind ourselves that we ARE NOT alone. When we stand upon the Word of the Lord, when we stand for “doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God,” we are not alone. When we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, we are not alone. The majority is not always right. The crowd is not always right.

It may feel like we are standing alone; but we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. We are surrounded by the angels of the Lord. We are surrounded by the lives and the legacies of men and women who sacrificed positions in society, sacrificed pats on the back, sacrificed going along with the majority, sacrificed opportunities, sacrificed their lives, literally. We stand upon their shoulders.

The most important thing we need to remember when we feel that we are standing alone, is that we are surrounded by our great and awesome God. Romans 8:31 may have said it best, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” The love of God, the strength of God, the peace of God enables us to stand for just, holy and righteous causes, even if the world stands against us. You plus God is more than the world against you!

You are not alone – remember that the Lord and those who have gone before you are right by your side. Envision them cheering you on from the balcony of eternity and STAND!!!

 In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org

 

 Shepastor: “What Happens When We Have to Wait?”

John 11: 11-7,  New International Version (NIV)

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

What happens when we wait?

Many of us are in a season of waiting…waiting for this horrible pandemic to pass, waiting for the insurance company to approve a much needed medication, therapy, etc., waiting on that check to come, waiting for some special door to open… waiting. Let’s be honest. Waiting feels overrated. It’s easy to tell others to be patient, wait your turn, wait on the Lord and be of good courage, good things come to those who wait, etc. But if we are honest, no one truly likes to wait, particularly in this day and age when so much is given to us so quickly.

 We want the fastest phones, the fastest computers, the fastest cars, the fastest email or text responses. We want everything in what we call “real time.” For those who use computers, nothing can be more frustrating than typing in something on Google or trying to live stream and we keep getting that annoying spinning wheel that indicates “buffering.” In other words, your computer is waiting to connect with the internet’s signal to show you what you are looking for. Uggghh!!!

 If we have to wait a short period of time, we may not feel too bad. We may grumble a

little or we may even just “suck it up” and keep pressing forward, knowing that the solution is just around the bin. But what happens when waiting is prolonged? What happens when discomfort turns into pain, pain turns into agony and agony begins to turn into despair? What happens in our psyche? What happens to our outlook on life? What happens to our hopes and dreams? What happens to our faith in God? What happens when we have to wait?

 At some point in our lives, we all will have the occasion to be able to relate to both Mary and Martha.  Mary and Martha were two sisters who were very close to Jesus.  Their brother Lazarus was close to Jesus as well. Jesus was their friend.  But he was more than that to them. They recognized Him as the Lord.  They believed Him when He said that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 So, when Lazarus, their beloved brother and close friend of Jesus became ill, they were confident that Jesus would come immediately and heal him.  Even if he didn’t come, maybe he would do like he did for the Centurion’s servant, only say the word and Lazarus would be healed. But for some reason, Jesus delayed his coming.  Can’t you see Mary and Martha pacing the floor, running over to the window, hearing footsteps coming down the cobblestone path and saying, “Is that Jesus?” only to discover that it was just another traveler, walking down the dusty road.  Worry and fear began to transform into confusion, anger and possibly resentment. Where was Jesus?  Why didn’t He come when they called? 

Where are you Jesus?  My sickness is getting worse.  Where are you Jesus?  The bills are piling up.  Where are you Jesus?  I can’t find a job.  Where are you Jesus?  My child has gone astray.  Where are you Jesus?  Why are you taking so long to come to my rescue?

 In light of the pain that Mary and Martha were in and in light of the fact that we know that Jesus knew that they were in pain, Jesus’ words in verse 5 are puzzling…

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 What? Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he went back to the city where he’d come from, Judea and DELAYED his coming! How does that make sense? Because Jesus was fully human and fully divine, He understood just how they felt…frustrated, hurt, angry, disappointed. But what they did not know was that Jesus was about to perform the GREATEST miracle they had ever seen – a miracle that would strengthen their faith in such a way that no one or nothing could ever shake their belief. What they didn’t understand was that this period of waiting was for God’s glory and their blessing!

 What happens when we wait? Even at our most challenging points, when we wait, not in our own strength, but through the strength and power of the Holy Ghost, we learn how to “glory in our sufferings.” We can rise above our current situation and circumstance and know that somehow, the Lord is going to get the glory and bring glory out of our situation. What happens when we wait? The Lord teaches us how to persevere.  Listen to how the dictionary describes perseverance…

“To continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. To… 

 

synonyms:

persist, continue, carry on, go on, keep on, keep going, not give up, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, show determination, press on/ahead, stay with something, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, be pertinacious, be patient, stand one's ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, hold out, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, plow on, grind away, stop at nothing, leave no stone unturned;

 Psalm 107:23-24 King James Version (KJV) declares,

²³ They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; ²⁴ These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

Waiting places us in “deep waters.” The Lord loves us. He does not want us to remain all of our lives in shallow waters. The Lord knows that if we get everything we want, when we want it, how we want it, the way we want it, we will never learn how to build up and flex our “faith muscles.”

 

The Lord knows that we will never see the wonders of God in the deep, we will never see the miracles of God unfold, we will never experience the power of God to resurrect that which was dead, and take away that which was stinking in our lives unless we go through some Mary, Martha and Lazarus experiences! God’s timing is not our timing. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. We live in Kronos, God lives in “Kyrios.” Kronos is the human time – like the clock on the wall. Kyrios is the “fullness of time,” it is eternal, it is God’s specific time that He has ordained for things go happen according to His perfect will and purpose for our lives.

 If we can hold out until our change comes, we will see the Lord move the stones away. After some heart wrenching discussion and tears, Jesus asked them to do something that seemed utterly ridiculous.  He told them to “remove the stone.” But Lord, by this time Lazarus’ body is decaying and stinking.  “Remove the stone.”  But he’s been dead four days now – no doubt his spirit has since flown to the bosom of Abraham.  “REMOVE THE STONE!!!” 

Sometimes in our own lives, things have died. Dreams have died.  Hope has died.  Relationships have died.  Opportunities have died.  We may feel as though it makes no sense to remove the stone because by now, we’ve accepted the fact that what we’ve been hoping for, praying for, crying for may never happen. 

 At times, God allows things to die in our lives so that we can experience the joy of resurrection.  Oftentimes faith requires us to do what seems ridiculous and believe what seems impossible.  Great things happen when you step out in faith.  Great things happen when we have to step out into the deep. Great things can evolve when we persevere in our faith even when it looks like “game over!”

 We’ve got to trust that if God’s Word says it, He is able to deliver on His promises.  Even when it looks like the Lord is delaying His coming to help you – God is faithful.  Even when it looks like it’s over – Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  He can help you to remove the stone of doubt, the stone of fear, the stone of defeat, the stone of despair, the stone of hopelessness. Let Him bring resurrection power into your life.  Allow the Lord to do GREAT THINGS in your life, while you wait!

 In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org

Shepastor: "An Invitation to participate in a research project..."

 Dear Shepastor Friends,

As many of you may know, I am a doctoral learner at Capella University in the School of Counseling and Human Services. I am writing to invite you to participate in a research study. This study is a part of my doctoral education program. Participation in this research is voluntary.

The purpose of this study is to answer the research question, “What are the lived experiences of inequity of African American women who have led or are leading a struggling, non-profit organization in America?” In this study, I will seek to learn about the lived experiences of inequity of African American women leading struggling, non-profit organizations in America. Within this context, the term “struggling” refers to organizations that are unstable and dysfunctional. This type of organization is sometimes called a “glass cliff” appointment. The “glass cliff” is a phenomenon describing the reality that women are more likely than men to be appointed to precarious leadership positions in unstable, dysfunctional organizations.

If you are an African American woman nonprofit leader and you are interested in participating in this study, or you know someone who may be, please email me directly at Revcsmith1@cs.com

Thank you!

Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “The Power of Honest, Transparent and Respectful Conversation…”

 ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12, NIV

 

For the last five years, the Cleveland Foundation has supported a community wide initiative called, “Common Ground.” Common Ground is a platform for community members to come together to discuss ideas, issues, concerns, etc., to make our communities healthier, stronger, better.

On July 27^th, 2021, Restoration Ministries of Greater Cleveland, Inc., and Faith in the City Euclid, Ohio, hosted the conversation, “People, Place and Shared Power: Where Are We On the Journey?” Our facilitator was Dr. Martina Moore, Ph.D., President and CEO of Moore Counseling. The basis of our conversation was the ground breaking book, White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo.

In preparation for our discussion, the board members of our group came together to read the book and discuss how the concepts, truths, and overall idea of the book impacted us as individuals. Our conversations were open, honest, transparent and raw. Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried, and sometimes we became angry. But our conversation remained respectful with truths shared in love. 

Dr. Moore asked that each of us share our experiences during the book discussion with our conversation participants. Our participant audience of 22 individuals was diverse in terms of age, race, ethnicity and religious beliefs. Following opening remarks from the facilitator and the experience sharing from the book study group, everyone was given an opportunity to respond and share.

Individuals transparently shared their thoughts about racism. White participants shared honestly the fears they had been taught to have over the years about African American people and their culture. African American participants shared the realities they face daily related to systems that were designed and continue to persist to oppress, marginalize, penalize and disenfranchise minorities on every level. An Asian participant shared the oppressions, aggressions and disappointments they face as they experience “tokenism” from White people, and rejection from African American people.

A young person responded to a statement regarding fear of the African American culture. He shared that most fear is based in a lack of knowledge about the culture. He also articulately shared how history writers control the narrative, frequently painting those they oppress in a negative light. It is therefore important for people to get to know people for themselves, to read a more expansive repertoire of literature, from the perspective of those from the culture and to understand the systems that create and perpetuate poverty, “inner city” conditions and the dangerous atmosphere that rightly engenders fear.

WOW! What a POWERFUL CONVERSATION!!! Following the sharing of ideas, thoughts and experiences, participants all agreed that more dialogue is needed on these issues. Participants exchanged contact information and made a commitment to spend time getting to know one another. People expressed a desire to learn more and to engage in a follow-up discussion in the Fall. 

To God be the glory, honest, transparent and respectful conversation produced the fruit of meaningful dialogue, new friendships and hope. We began to "see" one another! With God, all things are possible, even in a time of historic divisions in our nation. By faith, we will walk on. By faith, together, we will overcome, someday…

In Faith, Hope and perseverance,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org

 Shepastor: "What Kind of Fruit Do You Bear 'On the Regular?' "

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1: 9-14, NIV

 

In this text Paul is praying some detailed prayers for the people of God, the new believers in Colossae. Specifically, Paul prays:

-        That the Lord would fill them with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding given by the Holy Spirit

-        That they would live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way 

-        That they would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of the Lord

-        That they would be strengthened by God’s power so that they may have great endurance and patience

It is so easy for us to say that we could never be worthy of all that the Lord has done for us. And that is true. The scripture says that “all of our righteousness is as filthy rags…” There is nothing that we can do to make ourselves clean, right before the Lord. However, we can live a life that is worthy of our Lord. In other words, through Christ, and with the power of the precious Holy Spirit, we can “walk worthy.”

Paul emphasizes that through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, we can live a life that is worthy of our Lord. We cannot do it on our own, but through Christ, we can do all things. Let’s consider his prayers for them:

 

The first two things Paul prays are:

(1) That the Lord would fill them with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding given by the Holy Spirit

(2) That they would live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way

 When we yield our heart, mind and spirit to receive God’s word, when we pray to understand and apply God’s word to our lives, we will, by faith, trust in the Lord with all of our heart, not leaning to our own understanding, but instead we will acknowledge him and trust him to direct our path. We will learn how to please the Lord….Trust, pray and obey!

 

Today’s focus is upon the third thing that Paul prayed for the believers:

(3) That they would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of the Lord

 

Paul prayed that they would bear fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of the Lord. What does it mean to “bear fruit in every good work?” To bear fruit means that there will be evidence of our walk with the Lord. Jesus said, “they will know that we are Christians by our love.” Jesus also said that good trees will not bear bad fruit. We will be known by our fruit.

 

This does not mean that we won’t ever do anything wrong. It does mean, however, that our “record” of fruit, the kind of fruit we bear, should be consistent. What kind of fruit do we bear on the regular? For example, an apple tree cannot bear oranges. A grape vine cannot bear lemons. If we are living a life worthy of our Lord, then our fruit will be consistent with the Spirit of Christ. We are known by our fruit. We win lost souls to Christ through God’s love. It does not matter how many scriptures you know, how many days you fast or how many committees you join if you don’t have love. What kind of fruit do we bear “on the regular?”

 Our fruit is reflected in the way we behave. Do we treat people like we want to be treated? Do we forgive, even when the offender does not apologize? Do we speak the truth in love? Do we have the joy of the Lord? Are we the hands and feet of Jesus, helping others, encouraging others, serving others, supporting others? 

 God’s people have the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, endurance, patience, meekness “against such there is no law.”

In other words, when we live a life filled with the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit, we don’t have to worry about “the law,” for our love fulfills the mandates of the law. Jesus said that we can hang all of the law and the prophets on the two great commandments – the love of God and the love of fellow human beings. May we pray to bear good fruit regularly that reflects the love of Christ!

 A song writer put it like this… 

Day by day

Day by day

Oh Dear Lord

Three things I pray

To see thee more clearly

Love thee more dearly

Follow thee more nearly

Day by day

 

May we join Paul in this prayer not only for ourselves, but for one another, that we will live a life worthy of our Lord, and bear good fruit in the name of Jesus!

In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,

Pastor Chris

www.shepastorchris.org

Check out this amazing forum happening on Sunday, July 25th at 6:00 p.m.! See the information posted below...