Keep Incubating, I Guess

Posted on December 7, 2012 by jamiezirkle

Recently, I had the privilege of leading our young adult Bible study through the book, “Always True: God’s Promises When Life Is Hard”, by James Macdonald. I would strongly recommend this book for a small group study or just for your personal use. The six promises that he focuses on are as follows:

1. I will not fear; God is always with me.2. I will not doubt; God is always in control.
3. I will not despair; God is always good.
4. I will not falter; God is always watching.
5. I will not fail; God is always victorious.

Life is all about a process and sometimes we just need to be reminded of the simplistic, and yet timely promises that God has given us. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” When the process begins to take a little bit longer than expected there can be times when it’s hard to trust, when it seems easier to think things through on our own, or when it seems easier to just acknowledge that we feel that our ways are better. As a planner and a thinker I am guilty of this quite often.

A friend of mine shared something with me that God had laid on his heart and I recently shared this with our young adult Bible study a few weeks ago. In so many words he said that God’s “heart is brooding over you like a mother hen broods over her eggs while they are hatching. If she helps them too soon, they will die.” Now, I have the foggiest ideas about anything farm related. I know that I like farms and our family has an old farmhouse where my grandmother was raised but that’s where my knowledge ends. My research has found that it takes about 20-21 days for the chicks to hatch but all the while the mother hen is brooding over those eggs, almost in a trance-like state, until the timing is right. I had no words for those at the Bible study other than, “keep incubating, I guess.” It brought about a few cackles (sorry, had to do it.) But, really, what else is there to do than to keep incubating?Hen-eggs_1370969c

A friend of mine, Nicole Sewell Fairchild, posted this on her Facebook page today and it in essence describes the incubation process of Jesus. Here it is:

It occurred to me, when I was reading a devotional about the birth of Christ, that God took His time in the redemption story. Jesus didn’t just come and offer the sacrifice of his own blood in a couple of hours, or days. Jesus grew up just like any child grows. He went through adolescence and early adulthood. This process of offering redemption lasted about 33 years.

I get so busy and rushed. I want answers quickly and I tend to see little reason to “waste time.” If I’m not *productive* then I interpret that as being wasteful. It is easy for me to think that Jesus could have done so much more if He had used every precious moment to its fullest. He could have begun his ministry at 14 or something! But He was allowed the time to grow, experience, observe, hurt, struggle and find joy. He lived at a very different pace than we do. The time spent in preparation was not a waste, even though it might have looked uneventful to my eyes if I were observing a month of his 20th year of life.

God’s style may not fit with our pace – but I don’t think God has changed. In sharp contrast to our pace of life, God still takes decades to complete a good work. I think He does this all the time and I still haven’t caught on. He takes our whole lives. Our whole lives. Nothing rushed.
If Jesus had come and died in the same day or week – that might have seemed cheap to us and we may not love Him so deeply or have the assurance that He can relate to our experience.
Once again, my conclusion is: God takes the long road. (NICOLE) Stop rushing, embrace waiting, and watch with expectation.

Keep incubating, I guess.

 

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Happy, Happy, Happy. Lessons from the Bible and Duck Dynasty

Posted on October 5, 2012 by jamiezirkle

I love the Bible and I love Duck Dynasty. If you’re not familiar with the show, Duck Dynasty, it is the story of a multimillionaire, redneck family that makes duck calls for a living down in the heart of Louisiana. What you may not know is that the founder of their business, Duck Commander, was an All-Star quarterback for the Lousinana Tech football team back in the late 60’s. He was so good in fact that after three seasons he was a wanted man by the Washington Redskins. What you also may not know is that the backup quarterback to Phil Robertson during those years was none other than Terry Bradshaw. You can read more about it here: Phil and Terry

The book of James begins with probably the most quoted verses in the book as it speaks of trials and difficult situations in verses 2-7. In his book James focuses mainly on spiritual growth and social relationships but it’s these first few verses that always stand out to me. Here is what he says:

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

In the early stages of his business, which you can read here: Phil’s early trials, Phil says, “I’d drive up to these Walmarts and they’d run me out, ‘you think we’re gonna buy old duck calls off the street?’ I said, ‘Hey man, Colonel Sanders started with one chicken and… that’s good chicken, man,” Robertson said. Phil spent 25 years making duck calls in an old shed behind the house and only made $8,000 in his first year which is wife, Kay, somehow managed to feed the family on. They were hard times full of trials but Phil wouldn’t have it any other way. When he gave up possible millions in the NFL to pursue his passion and calling in life he said, “But you gotta remember, my heart was then and to this day — let me put it this way: Throwing a touchdown pass to a guy running down the sideline, and he runs down with the ball for six, it was fun. However, in my case, it was much more fun to be standing down in some flooded timber with about 35 or 40 mallard ducks comin’ down on top of me in the woods. That did my heart more good than all the football in the world.”

Today, Phil is happy but it’s not about the money. His son, Willie, is the CEO of the company and Phil gets to enjoy life in the woods doing what he always wanted to do.

We don’t rejoice in the trials that come our way but we rather attempt to see them through God’s perspective and rejoice in the possible results that come from them. Even though Phil was doing what he loved I’m sure it wasn’t all that easy in the beginning. The testing or the sifting as I like to call it (think of wheat being sifted) is the season in which we endure the stripping away of what is not good from that which is good. Phil’s business went through years of sifting before it became what it did today. And the patience part can sometimes be the hardest because we want the trial and the testing to hurry up and get done but patience needs to have its way with us. It’s not a passive resignation to life’s circumstances but it’s rather a genuine steadfastness to endure the trials and sifting. For 25 years out in an old woodshed is where Phil endured trials, testing, and patience that ultimately brought completion to the journey.

“Happy, Happy, Happy” is the motto of Phil’s life. His outlook on life was forged many years ago through various trials of many kinds and today he can “sit back” and take in all the hard work that was done and enjoy the journey even more. May I encourage you to remain steadfast and patient during your trials and testing. God promises you that “I began a good work in you and I will be faithful to complete it.”

Go find your passion and calling and live a “Happy, Happy, Happy” life!

 

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Fear, Faith, and Fulfillment

Posted on September 20, 2012 by jamiezirkle

I have to be honest. I’m dealing with some fears, I’m desiring more faith, and I’m yearning for fulfillment in the areas that God has mapped out for me to do in this life.

A few days ago I confessed to a friend that although I felt that my prayer time was “great” I knew that I wasn’t taking the time to read my Bible like I should. The word, “should”, can mean something different for everyone but for me I understood that it meant that there was a hole that only God’s Word can fill and it did not depend upon the amount of time or how much I read but that I would simply make it more of a priority.

Since I am going through somewhat of a wilderness journey right now I decided to do a study on some wilderness experiences in the Bible. My first step into this process brought me to 1 Kings chapter 17. In the first seven verses we see a new leader come on to the season by the name of Elijah. After a brief encounter with a bad king named Ahab, God instructs Elijah to go and rest by a brook where he would drink and eat until he could hold nothing more. This lasted for awhile until God tells him to get up and go to another town. It’s here, in this town, or at least in the context of this story, where God spoke to me.

1 Kings 17:8-16

New International Version (NIV)

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

Initially, there are three things that stand out to me:
1. FEAR. The widow was afraid to give up the very thing that would sustain her and her family. She found security in that food and rightfully so. What are you afraid to give up? Where is it that you place your sense of security? I’m afraid to step out into the unknown because it does not feel very secure. I have no idea where my feet will land and that is quite scary. Like the widow, I feel the security when I can see the flour and oil and when I can touch it with my own hands. Knowing that it’s there and it’s guaranteed makes the fear go away.

2. FAITH. It took GREAT faith for this woman to give up something to a complete stranger based upon some promise that she could not see. What is it that God is asking you to give up? Is God asking you to give up something for someone you don’t know or perhaps to someone you do know? Is He asking you to give it to Him? It takes great faith to place our faith in a God that we cannot see for promises that have yet to be fulfilled. But, where there is no risk there is no reward. Faith is risky.

3. FULFILLMENT. We all want fulfillment out of life but some of us aren’t really sure what truly fulfills us. Perhaps we are looking to WHAT can fulfill us and not to the WHO. I’ve often felt that a certain position in ministry would do the trick only to find out that it never does. It’s not in the POSITION but in the PERSON that I can find true fulfillment. Not only did God fulfill his promise to the widow but the widow’s jars of oil and flour stayed FULL and FILLED throughout the drought. Think about it.

What am I afraid of?

Where am I lacking in faith?

Who am I looking to for fulfillment?

I need to overcome some fears, respond in faith, and then watch God fulfill His promises. May I would challenge you to do the same?

 

 

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The Sifting

Posted on August 24, 2012 by jamiezirkle

Wikipedia describes how gold miners would sift for gold back in the earlier days of mining, “Gold panning is mostly a manual technique of separating gold from other materials. Wide, shallow pans are filled with sand and gravel that may contain gold. The pan is submerged in water and shaken, sorting the gold from the gravel and other material. As gold is much denser than rock, it quickly settles to the bottom of the pan.”

Webster’s online dictionary describes sifting as this:

a: to put through a sieve
b: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve
c: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable

For our English lesson today have you noticed all of the verbs? separating, submerged, shaken, to put through, to separate, to go through. They are every day actions that we take if we are separating some mail, putting something through a blender or going through a tunnel. However, they take on a far different meaning when it pertains to our own personal lives. It doesn’t feel good to be sifted, shaken, submerged, or to be put through anything. We’d rather not go that route.

Peter is but one of many stories of how God sifts us for His purpose.

Luke 22:31-34“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Satan demands to sift all of the disciples like wheat but Jesus says He will pray for them and especially for Peter (Simon). Jesus knows that Peter will fail the upcoming test when he denies Christ but He also knows that this sifting process of Peter is necessary, not only for him, but for his brothers. There is an old saying that says you cannot have a testimony without a test. Peter was tested early on when Jesus went fishing with him and told him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat, contrary to what a seasoned fisherman like Peter would have done. Later on Peter was again tested when he saw Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a horrible storm and was summoned by Jesus to get out of the boat, again something a seasoned fisherman would not have done. Peter was a man of action even if some of his actions were misguided such as when he cut the off the ear of the guard who was attempting to arrest Jesus.

Jesus saw the “gold” in Peter. He saw his potential and in essence Jesus stated that he would be a pillar of the church. It wasn’t until after the resurrection of Christ that Peter truly saw who Jesus was. In the book of Acts it was Peter who preached such a powerful sermon that 3000 people came to know Christ in one day. The same Peter who doubted the fishing ability of Jesus, the same Peter who at first thought Jesus was a ghost walking on the water only to step out of the boat and take his eyes off of Jesus, the same Peter who denied Christ became a great man of God! I’m sure that Peter never thought that he would be preaching in front of such a large crowd especially after denying the One that he was preaching about.

That’s the beauty of what Jesus does. He sees the gold in you and I and if we will allow Him to sift us, to shake us, to separate out the stuff that does not belong, to submerge us then as the dirt and junk is sifted away we will begin to see that glimmer of hope at the bottom of the pan. Remember, Jesus is praying for YOU!

Here is a website that I found encouraging to me. Enjoy! Sifting

 

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Don’t Quit

Posted on August 22, 2012 by jamiezirkle

One of the greatest soccer games that I every played in took place on a rainy, fall day in Phoenixville, PA. The year was 1995 and I was a freshman at Valley Forge Christian College. After a few years on haitus of playing organized soccer I was eager to attend soccer camp. I made it through most of the camp but quit just short of the beginning of the season because I didn’t like the coach and I questioned my desire to play the game. After about a week away and with the encouragement of one of my teammates I returned to the team. I had a talk with the coach who would later become the best coach I had ever played for and my passion for the game had been renewed. Although both teams were fairly equal in talent we were down 2-3 with just a few minutes remaining. I remember that the ball lived on their side of the field for most of those final minutes but we could not make the most of our opportunities. It was a hard fought game and a lousy way to lose but I can honestly say that not a one of us ever quit.

Have you ever felt like quitting? Sure, we all have. It’s as universal as the need to be loved, valued, and accepted. We get tired of losing and the scars seem to accumulate and I’m not talking about sports. We lose jobs, a marriage dissolves, a loved one passes away, and we just seem to be on the side of the “have nots.” But, I know one thing, if you choose to quit then your choice affects those around you and it affects those you have yet to meet. If one of us would have quit in that soccer game then we would have been quitting on the entire team. I’m glad that I did not follow through and quit. I would have never experienced the highs of being a team captain and an All Conference player or the lows of a losing season and an injury that I can still feel to this day. Let me encourage you with some stories of  some real people who chose not to quit:

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.”

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.”

Thomas Edison‘s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

An expert said of Vince Lombardi: “He possesses minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation.” Lombardi would later write, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.”

27 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss‘s first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him “hopeless as a composer.” And, of course, you know that he wrote five of his greatest symphonies while completely deaf.

The Gettysburg Address, A Great Prime Minister, The Light Bulb, The Lombardi Trophy, “The Cat in the Hat”, and Symphony #5 would have never happened if these people would have chose to quit.

Jesus did not want to endure the punishment that He was about to receive. He had seen what the Romans did to their enemies and He asked His Father for an alternative route but was denied. True to form, Jesus got up, stuck out His chest and allowed the Spirit man to take over. He knew that He would be beaten beyond recognition and die a horrible death on the cross but He didn’t quit. This was His destiny and I believe that He saw every one of our faces that day and the Spirit of God was flowing through his veins like an adrenaline rush. He didn’t give up and He didn’t quit. His purpose was fulfilled and I’m thankful that it was finished.

Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I know what it’s like to lose a job, more than once. I know how much it hurts to lose a loved one. I know how desperate it feels when the scars don’t seem to heal. But, I also know that I serve a God who has a plan far greater than what I could imagine for myself. If I quit then I will never know what that plan is and I simply cannot live with not knowing. I hated to lose that game but I hate it even more to think that I would never know what my purpose is. Don’t quit!

 

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Getting up from the Workbench

Posted on June 29, 2012 by jamiezirkle

I have spoken to many friends who are in a seemingly endless cycle of waiting, praying, and hoping, for God to open up a door or two of opportunity in their lives. They are either praying for direction in which college they should attend, deciding which job to take, or they are simply asking God to reveal His purpose for them. Some have been waiting for a few weeks, some for a few months, and others for many years. The waiting gets old, the praying is often an attempt to say the right words but after so long they have come to the end of their own vocabulary and they just don’t know how or what to pray anymore and that is when hope can begin to fade away as an evening sunset.

My grandfather passed away a few years ago. He and my grandmother lived in a little town called, LaPine, Oregon. They were transplants from Napa, California. They had a beautiful home in a picturesque part of the world and I was fortunate enough to visit there once. I remember a lot about the trip. Fishing on the bank of an Oregon river (but not catching anything), watching a bald eagle makes its way not twenty yards in front of me as it seemed to follower the path of the river as a hiker would follow a trail. I can also remember visiting Crater Lake. It was a beautiful trip but what I remember most is my grandfathers “man-cave” located a few yards behind the house. It was fairly large and it was home to an old car or two. But, where my grandfather spend most of his time was at the workbench. He loved to work with wood and he had every tool needed to make any piece of furniture that he so desired. I watched him as he picked out the best piece of wood for his project and how he cut, sanded, shaped, and worked that piece of wood into a masterpiece.

One day, during my trip, my grandfather wanted to teach me how to make something and I was all to eager to help. He chose the piece of wood and even the design (I can’t recall what the design was) but my grandfather did the unthinkable (insert sarcasm) and chose to teach me how to work with the wood. HE, not ME, sat at the workbench and began to work on the project as he spoke through each part of the process. This was taking WAY longer than I had hoped it would and I was frankly getting bored. We men are fixers but I wasn’t able to do any fixing! We did not finish the project that night but I could not wait to start again the next morning. When I awoke the next day I found out that my grandfather left early to run some errands and grandma did not know when he would be back. My brother was out chopping wood and my grandmother was messing around in the kitchen. But, I was bored! So, I decided to go out to my grandfathers workbench and take matters into my own hands. It wasn’t long when I realized that I was messing up what my grandfather had planned. I tried like crazy to fix some of the damage but I was only making it worse. It was then that I realized that someone else was in the “man-cave.” My grandfather wasn’t mad at me and he didn’t force his way to the workbench. I had to get up and let him take his rightful seat.

I was in my early 20’s when I learned this lesson and now I’m in my early 40’s and I just learned it again, or maybe I never really learned it at all. I am that friend who is waiting, praying, and hoping. But, for far too long I have been too impatient to wait on God to finish what He has started. A few weeks ago I tried to make something happen in my own power but like my grandfather God allowed me to take matters in my own hands. I finally came to the end of myself and I was tired of trying for many years to make something happen.  It was during an unplanned, early morning prayer session that I chose to get up from the workbench and let Him have control. Afterall, His Son was a carpenter, so what do I know?

May I encourage you to pray Rev 3:7-8 over your life. Just get up from the workbench and let the Master get back to work.

 

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Bloody Knuckles and a Bruised Head

Posted on April 19, 2012 by jamiezirkle

The Shining moment in my life came when my brother and I got into a fight and he ran to his room and closed his door. This act of cowardice infuriated me but unlike Jack Nicholson I did not use an axe to tear the door apart, I used my fists. I conjured up the strength of the Incredible Hulk and used every Bruce Lee move that I could think of to tear through that door. In what seemed like an eternity in reality only took a few minutes but I paid the price with some bloody knuckles and some bruises on my head. Needless to say, my knuckles and my head were not the only parts of my body that suffered that day. It’s not fun when your father makes you pick out the branch on the tree!

Unfortunately, this is how most of us spend our lives. We are good at beating on doors and it frustrates us to no end when they don’t open. Nothing is worse than thinking that a door should open for you only to have remained closed and not matter how hard you beat on it you just can’t seem to breakthrough. It hurts, it’s discouraging, it’s confusing, and it’s disheartening. We’ve all been there and most of us are still there. In fact, I don’t believe there is a one of us who is not standing in front of some door praying for it to open. Unless you have given up on praying, and I pray that you haven’t, your focus and energy are on getting through that door. Somehow, someway you are determined to not let this door keep you from your next job promotion, your new home, your new car, healing in your body, or salvation for a loved one. It could be that you are standing in front of that door waiting for the child that you have always wanted.

So, what do we do with these closed doors? I have a few thoughts and observations based upon personal experience.

1. Our focus is off. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being determined and with praying through for something. I believe God honors and loves this about us. But, I believe that what He loves even more is for us to focus on Him and not on the door. Matthew 23:27 tells us to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus does not tell us to love God with some of our heart, soul, and mind, He wants it ALL. Boy, that’s hard to do sometimes isn’t it? When we want that new job, new car, new home, or when we wonder where the next meal will come from it just consumes us. It’s in our nature. But, here is the good news in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When we learn to put God first in all that we do and in all that we say He honors His Word and will provide for our needs. He’s faithful to His promises! It’s all about OUR focus.

2. Some doors aren’t meant to be open. Oh man! Why did I have to bring that up? I just encouraged us to refocus and spoke about God’s promises and now I have to go and talk about closed doors! Rev 3:7-8 says this, “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” God will open and close the doors. It’s a matter of trust on our end to give Him the credit that He knows what He is doing even in times of frustration and anger towards Him. He knows our deeds, our hopes, our dreams, and our struggles and in His time and in His way He will open the right one. Closed doors being a positive thing doesn’t make sense to us but how many of you are thankful that your current job, home, car, etc. . . are perhaps not the ones that you wanted? I know that I’m thankful that I did not marry some of the people I dated and waited for the right girl to come along:) Those closed doors were a blessing!

3. Promotion comes from God. Honestly, isn’t this really how we want to receive our promotion? To know that God opened the door when no one else could is an awesome thing! Joseph is a guy that comes to mind. When he was young, around 17years old, he had a few visions that didn’t really sit well with his brothers. Most 17 year old guys are pretty cocky. I knew that I was! For the next 13 years Joseph spent time in a pit, was sold into slavery, was hit on by a married woman and wrongly accused, thrown into prison and then forgotten. All throughout the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-47) the Bible says that “God was with Joseph.” Why? Because Joseph remained faithful to God and in due time Joseph was released from prison and placed in the 2nd most important leadership role in all of Egypt. I don’t doubt for one minute that Joseph was not happy in a pit, in slavery, in prison, or feeling forgotten but He never lost sight of God and simply trusted Him.

I don’t know where you are but I know where I am and where I have been and I know that some closed doors don’t make sense to me. But, if we would learn to focus on God, thank Him for closed doors and remain faithful then in His time and in His way He will open the right door. Trust me, it will save you the pain of bloody knuckles and a bruised head.

 

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Secular Music In Church?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by jamiezirkle

The topics of being “relevant” in church and the “seeker sensitive” movement have been discussed quite extensively, and quite passionately I might add, in our churches and leadership circles for a while now. But, there seems to be a new level of discourse taking place in the area of playing secular music in church as a way to “reach out” to those who seem to have lost their desire to be a part of a church that they once knew. Like a business that spends millions of dollars researching the best ways to market their product the church has all too often made some compromises that have crossed the line. Listen, before we go any further I want to say that I believe that the Church is the greatest institution on planet earth and like any institution it is filled with flawed people who attempt to make right decisions but don’t always get it right. Therefore, my blog will also be flawed but it’s a place where I can share my own opinions and I welcome yours.

A widely viewed segment on the topic of secular music in church was discussed by three pastors; Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, and Perry Noble on the highly popular “Elephant Room” series. You can listen to this 48 minute video here: Highway to Hell

Without saying much more, because I believe the video does a far better job than I could, I will admit that I am a fan of certain aspects of secular music. When I was in college I used to fall asleep to the sounds of Enya and as most people know I am a fan of Bon Jovi. Some would debate that if secular music should not be played in church then should a Christian be a “fan” of it. That’s a valid point.

So, I’m interested in your thoughts so post away!

 

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Stuck

Posted on February 24, 2012 by jamiezirkle

Have you ever been in a place where you just felt stuck? Perhaps you were stuck in an airport waiting for what seemed like an eternity for your connecting flight to actually connect. Maybe you chose to take a chance that a gas station would be just around the bend only to find out that your gas gauge was not completely accurate. Or perhaps you ran out of your house in a hurry only to remember that you had forgotten your keys just as you closed the door. Yes, I have done all three and it’s not fun being stuck in those situations!

But, I believe the worst place to be stuck is in life. Everyone wants to know what their purpose is and why they even exist. There is a reason why the Bible is the most sought after book in the world and a reason why Rick Warren’s, “Purpose Driven Life” was and still is a bestseller. We want to know what on earth are we here for and if what we are doing is actually what we need to be doing.

Many years ago I read an article in a magazine, I forget the name of it, that centered around something that I like to do when I can and that is to go hiking. A group of men decided to go on a very novice trek up a mountain when they noticed a storm coming on the horizon. So, they did what any smart man would do and they chose to take a shortcut. My son, Ethan, likes to remind me that my shortcuts are not really that short! In the hiking world getting off of the main path is not always the smartest thing in the world to do but when you are in a hurry to get from one place to another and you see a storm coming our tendency is to avoid it and go our own way. Their journey landed them in a precarious position of being stranded out in the open, staring up at a rock face, in the middle of the storm. Not good. They spent a few frightful hours, huddled together, out in the open until the storm passed and then they decided to go back the way that the came to reconnect with the main trail. There were three things that this experience taught the author that he shared with his readers.

Pray Simply. Their prayers, in the midst of the storm, were ones of, “God, would you please keep us safe?”, “Lord, watch over us until this storm passes.” Sometimes, we just need to quit over-complicating our relationship with God and learn to have a conversation with Him. The prayers of Jesus were very powerful but were very simple and direct. May we learn how to openly, honestly, and yet simply converse with God.

Wait Sometimes.This is the part where we feel stuck. The waiting is what is so hard and what makes us so impatient. Maybe we have been praying very simply but yet it still feels like the storm is raging and nothing is happening but oh there is much happening that we cannot see. Honestly, there is simply nothing that we can do in our own strength that will make this journey go any faster. If those hikers would have chosen to stay on the main trail they would have had the shelter to wait out the storm. Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the full armor of God and then when you have done all of that you simply stand. Isaiah 40:31 also tells us that when we wait on the Lord that we will receive strength, we will soar, we will run, and we will walk. It doesn’t sound like being stuck is where we will live if we can learn to be patient and wait on Him, does it?

Stick to the Path. It’s our human nature to take things into our own hands and to find the shortest way to get from point A to point B. When it comes to the purpose and will of God that theory simply will not work. It never has and it never will. The sooner that we can get that through our thick heads the better off we will be in this life. God has given us the gift of free will. We can choose any direction that we want. But, when we come to that proverbial fork in the road the best course of action is to pray simply and to wait sometimes which in essence give us the ability to stick to the path. He is the vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we can do nothing.

Pray, wait, stick=unstuck!

 

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Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Posted on September 1, 2011 by jamiezirkle

The older I get (I’ll be 41 in November) the more that I seem to enjoy the simple things in life. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a staple in our home, especially when the air becomes a bit cooler. I have spent most of my life going from one place to another, always in a hurry, and always very busy. When I was younger, I was what you would call a “church rat”, someone who was at church whenever the doors were open. These days, we have a hard enough time getting people to just attend the regular two-night-a-week-church schedule, but that’s another blog for another time. I still remember my Children’s Church days with Pastor Dave and Kathy, and singing in the Kid’s Corral Choir. I played soccer for BRYSA (Blue Ridge Youth Soccer Association) which is still in existence today. My Summers were spent playing in the yard across the street from my house where my friend Darren lived. It was our miniature version of the field portrayed in the movie, “The Sandlot.” Home base was the dirt in front of what I believe was an old oak tree that stood at least 70 feet tall. In order to hit a home run you had to clear the street and then the two trees in my front yard. To this day, Darren and I have a dispute as to who hit more home runs. Either way, we both beat Hank Aaron. My youth ministry days were spent learning from the likes of Billy, Ed, and Kelly. Billy taught me the importance of relationships. I gave him a really hard time but yet he loved me enough to believe in me and see the best. I owe him for that. Ed was only there for six months but he taught us guys how to make a fart sound out of the side of our mouths. I can still do it to this day so I guess he taught me something. Kelly taught me how to be tough in my faith and not to allow the devil any entry in my life. Sadly, I did not always heed his advice.

When I think back to my childhood I think about times when life was simple. A lot of that, of course, had to do with not having too many responsibilities other than pulling weeds, mowing the grass, and picking up the dog poop in the backyard. Today, the responsibilities of being a husband, father, and pastor can weigh heavily on me. What I find these days is that I’m not only busy in my daily life but my mind is also in constant motion. Sometimes I can be too busy in that way.

A friend of mine, Frank Iddings, said this to me many years ago; “The Bible is complicated enough that the most brilliant minds could spend a lifetime studying it and yet never find all of its meaning, but it’s simple enough for people like you and me to understand.” I have been guilty of over-complicating my Christian faith. There is a difference between complex and complicated. We tend to take the complexity of Scripture and over-complicate it.

Jesus is the greatest example that we should follow. He did many things well but what He never neglected was rest and time with His father. For Him, it was simple. It gave Him peace, rest, and understanding of His father’s will. May it be just as easy for you as making grilled cheese and tomato soup.

 

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