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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Pessimistically Challenged

That is what I have been described over the years. I'm a "glass half full" type of guy.

However, last week - life was bleak and dark. Not sure why. Too full of days with no think time? Too many counseling appointments or counseling requests? Not enough sleep? Dissappointed in hearing of Christians shooting their wounded? Not enough exercise?

Regardless, I was bummed.

Through an event and discussions and scripture reading - I was encouraged.

The event was spending the week scampering onto my roof or running into the street at twilight to watch the International Space Station and the Shuttle glide across the sky. I don't know, there was something mesmerizing about watching that multi billion dollar project containing 13 people look so tiny in the sky. I realized over the week that God is big, hugemongous and is not contained by anything. Everything is in Him. I knew that, but it was still hard to feel it. But I was beginning to.

Later in the week, I went on a walk with my wife and was able to think outloud on how I was feeling about life. It is always good for me to think outloud and get feedback from my soul mate. I also was able to share with the men's group on Friday how I was feeling - they encouraged me as only guys can with their teasing, humor and pat on the back. I was feeling better.

Then, Friday I read, meditated and journaled on:

Psalm 8.3 "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
Psalm 42.5-6 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

Realizing that God is mindful of me and that my hope is in God touched my soul. Thankfully I had people to talk to about it and let God speak to my soul through His Word.

Do you have community and deep friendships to share life together?
Do you go to the Bible for comfort and encouragement?

On the journey,
Steve Walters
CCC-Sarpy Campus Pastor

posted by Steve Walters at 10:14 AM

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Feeling Small and Loved

9:31pm at 19 degrees off the Northern horizon for three minutes.

Those instructions made me climb on the roof of my house last night to look for the space shuttle Endeavoour and the International Space Station in the sky. I saw it.

Here you had a creation by man that has cost millions and millions of dollars over many, many years scooting through the sky at 17,500 mph with 13 people inside. I couldn't take my eyes off of this bright blip as it raced from horizon to horizon.

Watching it made me smile, feel small and feel loved.

I smiled with pride seeing man's ingenuity demonstrated and visible from miles and miles away.

I felt small because even with all of man's ingenuity and kajillions of dollars - it doesn't hold a candle to what are orbiting this solar system.

I felt loved knowing that God spoke the world into place and yet formed me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139.13-17 says:
"You [God] made my whole being; you formed me in my mother's body. I praise you because you made me in a amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old. God, your thoughts are precious to me. They are so many!"


May you feel loved today. If you don't... feel free to come and sit on my roof and see God's love!

On the journey,
Steve Walters
Campus Pastor
CCC-Sarpy
stevew@cccomaha.org

posted by Steve Walters at 1:05 PM

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Back Yard Bible Club and You

I want to thank you for the privilege of being a part of Christ Community Church. I saw ministry at work last week in Beaver Lake. I saw the White's open their home to the neighborhood families to "bring the church to them." The 18 children who participated in the week experienced God's love in a big back yard. The games, songs, activities and lessons all pointed to how much God loved and cared for each of them.
I also saw a block party on Friday that was fun, relaxing and showing God's love in a different way. There wasn't a lesson, except in serving the neighborhood with a free barbeque of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. Kids played games and all received prizes. Parents were able to meet the leaders and the White's over a meal. I drove away with the Block Party team sweaty, smelling like a barbeque, but smiling and thankful for a chance to serve God alongside such a caring, loving church body.

On the journey,
Steve Walters
CCC-Sarpy Campus Pastor

posted by Steve Walters at 2:12 PM

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

"Misunderstood Christianity"

I came across an unique description of Christianity found on a fellow pastor's blog:

"Christianity is a belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced bya talking snake to eat from a magical tree."

Actually, it is not too far from the truth. This is how my pastor friend translated this description:

Cosmic: from beyond earth, transcendent God
Zombie: body returned to life, resurrection
Cosmic Jewish Zombie: Jesus Christ
Symbolically eat-flesh: Communion
Telepathy: prayer
Accept as master: Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior
Evil force in soul: original sin
Rib-Woman: Eve
Talking snake: Satan
Magical tree: Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Using the above definitions we then have the following description:

"Christianity is the belief that the transcendent God, incarnate in Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and can give you eternal life in heaven if your remember his sacrifice in partaking of the Lord's Supper and pray, telling him that you accept him as your Lord and Savior, so he can remove original sin from your sould that is present in humanity because Eve was convinced by Satan to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil."

The reality is that there are many people you come in contact with that have various views and definitions of Christianity. In order for CCC to be effective and engaged in the lives of those living around the church, you need to take time to hear their definition of Christianity and who they think Jesus is.

On the journey,
Steve Walters
CCC-Sarpy Campus Pastor

posted by Steve Walters at 11:01 AM

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Recently....

....I have been thinking about the deaths of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett. However the most recent deaths of this past week of Michael Jackson and Billy Ray caused me to pause.

The truth is, Billy Ray is one month older than me and I am three days older than Michael Jackson. There is something that makes you stop when you see the year you were born for people who are now dead.

This is where you think outloud, "Boy, Steve sure looks young for his 50 years."

I am drawn back to what I preached on last month out of II Timothy 4.6-8 It says, "I'm about to die, my life an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting - God's applause!" [The Message]

It is not just being in the right race, it is also the pace you are running in the race.

What matters is if we run in the "only race worth running." I wish I could say I have always run the right race at the right pace. I haven't. But in light of these recent deaths of my contemporaries, I need to take and make the time to evaluate what I need to do to stay in the race and finish well right to the end.

What kind of race are you running today?

On the journey,
Steve Walters
CCC-Sarpy Campus Pastor

posted by Steve Walters at 10:33 AM