The Weeny Roast

 

When I was a boy at home, years ago, our family calendar revolved around activities at Eagle Creek Church. Week by week we were grounded in the regular worship and prayer services. And as the seasons changed we enjoyed special events with our church family. The Eagle Creek Youth Group met every Wednesday night in a basement classroom to sing praise songs, study the Bible and conduct Youth Group business. Our annual schedule of events included fun activities that always encouraged a spiritual or relational focus and also service projects that always turned out to be fun.

One of our regular service projects was a community leaf-raking service. On a frosty Saturday morning in October we would meet at the church and form several teams. An adult driver, usually one of our parents, would be assigned a carload of kids. We would load our rakes into the trunk of the car and off we’d go to the home of one of our local senior citizens. We’d jump out of the car at our first destination and make short work of raking the leaves into big piles to be burned, carried off in a truck, or left to decompose along a fencerow. Each itinerary would include several locations and our initial enthusiasm naturally eroded as the day progressed. But our youthful spirits were invigorated by the promise of a hearty and sumptuous weeny roast back at the church when we were finished.

It was late in the afternoon one year as the leaf-raking teams returned to the church parking lot after a day of hard work and teenage shenanigans. We were instructed to rake up the leaves around the church as the leaders set up the charcoal grill and other supplies for the long-awaited weeny roast.

Junior and Cleo Berger were our faithful Youth Group Leaders. They had families and other responsibilities of their own, but they joyfully poured hours and days of their time into the lives of a bunch of teenagers from the church. They were a wonderful example of love and devotion for their little flock of awkward and immature pre-adults, and they seemed inseparable. But on this particular Saturday, Junior had to work at his Gas Station and Cleo was left to lead the activities with a few other adults.

Us kids finished our final raking job and then hovered around the adults to pester them as they made the preparations. We were prepared to pounce the moment the plump, sizzling hot dogs were served. But the designated grillmaster didn’t seem to be making much progress. The charcoal briquettes had been mounded up and doused with lighter fluid, but after the initial flare-up nothing but a tentative thread of smoke arose from the cold coals. Another liberal dousing of lighter fluid was applied by the frustrated grillmaster. A match was thrown onto the mound of charcoal resulting in a minor flare-up, but within a few minutes the briquettes were as cold and black as they were at first. The grumbling teenagers tightened their circle around the frustrated adults and their reluctant charcoal grill. The security light flickered on as darkness descended upon this scene of hunger and desperation.

The beleaguered leaders moved the stubborn charcoal grill closer to the outside light over the doors of the church. The dauntless grillmaster carefully dribbled the last of the lighter fluid onto the crumbling briquettes and held a flickering match up to the coals. He then blew little puffs of his own air into the quickly diminishing flames in an attempt to fuel the fire without blowing it out. Finally a few of the coals were actually turning white on the edges and the big round grate was fitted to the grill and lowered to the surface of the coals. With the aroma of lighter fluid lingering in the cold night air, the leaders decided it was now or never as they arranged the dozens of cold, pale hotdogs on the grill. If you listened closely you could detect a faint sizzle.

The teenagers were in full grumble mode by now and some were making disparaging remarks that seemed very clever to their peers. My parents were not in attendance, so I was treating the audience to some of my best smart-alec material. This behavior, of course, only added to the frustration of the adults. It was then that our attention was drawn to the headlights approaching the church, hoping that perhaps someone had come to rescue one of us from this scene of escalating hunger and despair. A big silver Chrysler rolled up and the man who disembarked was none other than Junior Berger! All eyes turned to him as he approached the group. “Well look who finally shows up when it’s time to eat”, I said, expecting everyone to laugh. Cleo Berger fixed her eyes on me and delivered a sternly righteous rebuke that ended my comedic monologue.

Junior Berger didn’t say much. Rubbing his hands together with a tight-lipped smile he strode purposefully to the door of the church and disappeared within. We all wondered what he was up to. A few minutes later he reappeared with an old round canister vacuum cleaner trailing a cord that he had plugged in somewhere. The hose dangled from the rear end of it. We didn’t have time to laugh at him or make any more jokes. He pointed the hose at the tepid bed of coals and hit the switch. The clamorous blast from the vacuum cleaner produced an instant “Fa-Woosh!”; an explosion of ash and smoke! And when the dust settled the flames burned hot and bright. “WooHoo”, the crowd cheered as Junior Berger rolled up the hose and followed the cord back into the church.

By the time he reappeared the charcoal was white and hot. The grate was reaffixed to the grill with the hotdogs already in place and within a few minutes there was a genuine sizzle and the grillmaster was turning the hot dogs and calling for Junior to grab a bun!

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1: 6&7 (NIV)

The Man From Heaven

Dad was a carpenter. He made a living with his hand-tools and he took a great deal of pride in the work that he did. From fixing broken rocking chairs to building pole barns he did it all with his hand-tools. When I was a little boy Dad set up a workshop in our little one-car garage. Sometimes after supper he would go out to the garage to build or fix something. Mom would encourage me to follow him so I could watch and learn.

One of the tools Dad often used was his handsaw. He had a couple different ones and he always kept them sharp. I remember him sitting at the kitchen table and filing each tooth. The sound of that little file being drawn across the teeth of the saw made a sound that sent shivers up Mom’s back. She couldn’t help shrieking like the girl that she was and Dad would laugh! Us kids would shriek with Mom, then laugh with Dad.

Anyway…out in the garage, Dad would place the board across a low bench and take his pencil from behind his ear. Then, with his T-square, he’d make a big mark on the board. With one knee up on the board, Dad would make those first, light strokes with the saw to start the cut. And then I would look up at his face, because I knew that he’d draw that saw back and just as he plunged it down, he would make a face like this.

Dad was so intent on his mark and making those long, rhythmic strokes that he would make that face the whole time he was sawing. I can still see his perfect, brilliant teeth and the intensity in his eyes. And then, when the end of the board dropped off, his face would relax. And I would feel my face relax too. Because without thinking about it and without even trying, as I looked at his face and as I watched him work, I made the same face he did. It was only natural, kind of a spontaneous reaction. And it felt good!

Another important tool for a carpenter is his hammer. Dad would slip his 16-ounce hammer into the loop on his jeans, then tie on his nail apron behind his back and put a big fist-full of dark, shiny nails in one of the pockets. When Dad drove a nail he would tap it one time to make it stand up. Then he would hit that nail hard three or four times and drive it down flush. That hammer made a big noise in our little garage and every time he hit the nail I would blink. My Dad never blinked. Sometimes I would hold my eyelids open with my fingers and look right into his bright blue eyes. And he never blinked.

I hardly ever use my handsaw and I’ve certainly never sharpened it. And I don’t drive many nails, but I can still be just like him. Because Dad was determined, with his occupation and with everything else that he was, to follow Jesus Christ. To learn from him and be like him. And when you follow him to his workshop; when you look into his face and watch him work you can’t help but admire and imitate him. That’s what love does.

As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 1Corinthians 15:48-49 NIV 

THE HOMEMAKER

 

Mom invited me to come up to her house this weekend. She still lives on the place where I grew up and it’s the setting for so many of the memories that I write about. I’ve announced several times that I’m going to start spending more time up there, and I’ve made the trip several times this year, but it still seems like a long time between visits. One of my sisters and her family are coming up from Kentucky, so Mom wants the rest of us to come, too. “I’ll make some food” was the last line of her text. Well, that sealed the deal! I imagine, with some of the aches and pains that she has, that cooking and baking are exhausting efforts for her. But I know she enjoys it.

Mom has always been a dedicated homemaker. For many years she spent a large part of each day in her kitchen cooking breakfast, dinner and supper for her husband and four or five kids. She was our alarm clock. We would often wake up to her soprano serenade. She’d be singing a hymn, and old standard or even a classic show tune as she cooked breakfast. And sometimes, later in the day, she would bake cookies, a pie or even a cake.

Every cake Mom made was an expression of her love for her family, but her birthday cakes were the best of all!  She would let the birthday kid pick what kind of cake they wanted. Then she’d go to the store and get the right cake mix if she didn’t already have one in the cabinet. And she’d make sure she had plenty of powdered sugar on hand, because a Birthday Cake called for a big batch of frosting.

Us kids would be drawn to her presence in the kitchen by the sweet smell of a cake baking. “Don’t bump the oven!” she would sternly warn us, as our kinetic friction would escalate. Her second or third admonishment and her eventual threat to ban us from her kitchen would usually be enough to settle us down a little. We knew that eventually there would be a bowl of frosting and we didn’t want to miss out on that.

As the cake cooled on the counter, Mom would take her small mixing bowl from its place in the cabinet and, with her native intuition, add the four ingredients required for chocolate frosting: butter, powdered sugar, cocoa from the brown tin with the little round lid, and milk. These were precious commodities in her kitchen and she doled them out judiciously, being especially careful with the milk. She’d splash a little out of the jug into the bowl and if, “oops!”, too much came out she’d have to add a little more of the other ingredients. That didn’t happen very often. When the rich, sweet confection was just the right consistency and the cakes were cool, she would begin spreading on the frosting.

The first big gob went right on top of the cake. Mom had the rapt attention of her eager little brood as she turned the cake back and forth on the counter, picking up a little frosting from a thick place to spread over the thin places, until all the bare spots were covered up. She’d dig more out of the bowl to spread around the sides until the whole thing was lavished in a layer of rich home-made frosting. “Who wants to scrape the bowl?” was the question her audience was waiting for. All this was high drama at our house when we were kids.

Then came the good part. Mom would dig deep into the bottom cabinet for her special frosting tool with its clever little plunger and the variety of interchangeable tips. Then she had to make another batch of regular frosting for the decorations. “I hope we’ve got enough food coloring!” she’d say. But those tiny little bottles seemed to last forever.

She was always a little nervous then, as she loaded the fancy frosting into her decorating tool. “Now don’t bump me”, she’d warn us as she spelled out a birthday wish and made little curlicues all around the top edge of her creation. And nothing says “I love you” more than a Happy Birthday wish and the name of her birthday child in flowing cursive frosting font. “Let’s see if we’ve got some sprinkles”, she’d say from her tip-toes as she peered into the top cupboard.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are! (I John 3:1 NIV)

Bob Troyer

This post is dedicated to my friend, Jared. In September of 2018 my stepfather passed away. The funeral was 150 miles from where he and I live and as I was standing in the funeral home with my family I turned around to see Jared. He came all that way alone to express his friendship to me. He has also mentioned to me that he read my blog way back when I posted regularly.

My stepfather, Bob Troyer, was advanced in age and became ill. When he passed away I asked Mom if I could say something to honor him at the service. My relationship with Bob was “complicated”. But I have come to realize that Stepfather is probably the hardest job on earth, and he worked on our relationship much harder than I did. The words I’ve written below are pretty close to what I said to the large crowd that gathered to honor him the day we laid him to rest.

Bob Troyer is a guy who always had much to say. And much of what he said, he said REAL LOUD!

I remember one time, right after Bob joined our family, he came to my sixth grade basketball game. My Washington Rockets travelled to Knox Middle School to challenge the team there in their haunted old gym. They beat us pretty bad and after the game Bob called me up to where he was sitting, with Mom, in the bleachers. He looked at me and he said, “DONALD, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! At the end of the game it’s not important what the scoreboard says. What’s important is that you gave it your best.”

And, of course, that’s an old cliché that we’ve all repeated. But, when you’re eleven years old and you hear that from someone you admire and respect, it can sink in; you can build on it. It’s wisdom.

Another thing that I remember Bob saying to me, the thing that he probably told me most often is this: “DONALD, THIS WORLD DOESN’T OWE YOU NOTHING!” I know that sounds harsh and it stung me every time I heard it. But it was language that I understood, and I needed to hear it. What Bob was trying to communicate to me is the truth that it’s never right to take the people who love you for granted. It’s never good to take advantage of the people you love. He was trying to help me see that you must never expect others to put in the work that you don’t put in. The physical work, the relational work, the emotional work that makes a family. That’s wisdom at any volume level.

One more thing that I remember Bob used to say to me often came after an episode of automotive crisis or drama had just passed. He would say, “DONALD, IF YOU TAKE CARE OF THIS CAR, THIS CAR WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU. IF YOU DON’T TAKE CARE OF THIS CAR, THIS CAR WON’T TAKE CARE OF YOU!” I never had a rebuttal. It’s forty years later and I’ve got three boys of my own. All three of them have heard those same words from me. And I say them real loud!

Free to be a Servant

Good afternoon, everyone! What a tremendous privilege and blessing it is for us to stand here at the very foot of the Hancock County Courthouse, the seat and symbol of our local government, and lift up our voices in prayer to the God that we serve! My name is Don Rodgers and local government has become my career. And in the quiet, thoughtful moments of my life I allow myself to take pride in that fact, because the Bible tells me that all human governments are established by God. And then my pride turns to humility, because the Bible also informs us that all those who work in government are servants of God, to do good for the people. In our discipleship group at church we have been walking together through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a person who saw a great need in his community. He got himself appointed to do a great work for the people. Before he began that work, he prayed. And the hallmark of his prayer is that Nehemiah identified himself with his people. And that speaks to me today, and I hope it speaks to you, because what I get from Nehemiah is that from his perspective as a citizen, and from his position as a government official, there was no “them”. There was only “us”. If there is a task left undone; if there is fault to assign; if there is a burden to bear or a blessing to receive it does not belong to “them”. It belongs to “us”! Father in Heaven we thank you today for the government that you have established in this Great Nation, in our state, and in this very community. This government of the people, by the people and for the people. Father, I confess that as a people we have not always governed ourselves with wisdom and righteousness. Thank you, God, for your patience, your mercy, and your faithfulness. Father, I pray that, by your grace, you would grant each of our government officials the wisdom to see the truth, and the courage to respond to the truth. And as we work from our offices and from our pick-up trucks, as we file documents and fill potholes, grant us the appropriate measures of pride and humility that we need to serve the people that you love. And, Lord Jesus, as citizens of this Great Nation, and of this proud community, please grant us the integrity and the fortitude that we need to serve in our government. And grant us, by your grace, the wisdom and humility to submit to the authority that you have established. Remind us, Father, by your Holy Spirit, that we are a free people. Free to be your servants, and free to serve one another. Amen

Clothed with Humility

Last month when I spoke here we looked for a second time at the Book of 2nd Peter, chapter1, where we find this wonderful list of Christian virtues: Faith, Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control, Perseverence, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love. This is the very list of qualities that the God-fearing folk of Gwynneville Christian Church remind one another about every week. These are the qualities that we strive to possess in “increasing measure”. You may remember that I fashioned a little diagram that I compared to a game-board. When you become a Christian, in the game that I imagine, you begin to live by faith—faith in the Son of God, the one who loves us and gave himself for us. And you progress around this game-board of your Christian life and experience, growing in grace and fullness in each of these qualities. Spiraling up into maturity as a disciple of Jesus. Sometimes you make pretty good progress, by the grace of God, and sometimes you get stuck or you get sent back. But it’s OK if you get stuck or if you lose a turn or even if you get sent all the way back to Square One and find yourself reliving and relearning some of the same things over again. In a new way, perhaps; in a fresh context. It’s OK if you suffer through such obstacles, setbacks and disappointments because in those experiences you have the opportunity to grow, to mature, and ultimately to bring greater glory to God through your testimony and your relationships. Today we are going to spend a little more time with Peter. Our text today is from 1st Peter chapter 5, verses 5—11. I’d like to read that passage to you right now. Then we’ll pray together and spend a few minutes considering the challenges and encouragements that are presented to us in these verses. 1st Peter 5:5—11 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. Let’s pause right there just for a moment and consider a couple things: · “Young men” refers to any of us who have been placed under the leadership of people who are lead by God. · “in the same way” refers to verses 1-4 where leaders are called to lead with love, to be willing and eager serve for the glory of God, and to submit in every way to the leadership of Jesus Christ, our Savior. (returning to the text) All of you clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. Will you join me in prayer? Father in Heaven, we humble ourselves beneath your mighty hand today. Our heart’s desire is to be fully restored to you—to be strong, firm and steadfast in our faith, and to bring glory and honor to your name. We pray, Father that you would fill us with your Spirit today and make us willing to hear your voice and eager to obey. Amen. The Bible is such a wonderful gift from God! Would you agree? I am thrilled by this vivid and compelling word picture that Peter presents to us in this 5th verse: “…all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…” I am confident that as he wrote these words to you and me, he was picturing that night in the Upper Room where Jesus clothed himself with humility. According to the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus took off his outer garments, wrapped himself in a towel, and washed the feet of his disciples, including Peter. You may recall that Peter resisted. “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” John 13:8a Jesus had to explain to Peter and to the other disciples that he was calling them to follow his example of humility. By letting Jesus wash their feet they were accepting his call to the full extent of humility. Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:16 Peter learned something about humility that night in the Upper Room. He learned it from the Master. It’s a lesson that he needed a refresher on once or twice when he became a little nearsighted—a little forgetful, but I think that’s normal and forgivable! When I read these words that Peter wrote, drawing on his experience, I am blessed and encouraged. Because every time I stand before you in this pulpit I am drawing on my personal experience. (You may already have figured that out—you may have known that before I did!) I had a humility issue recently. One of my friends pointed it out to me as I spoke with him about a burden that I was carrying. He advised me to humble myself under the mighty hand of God and trust in him to lift me up in his time. He didn’t use those exact words. He did not actually quote scripture to me. But in his own words, speaking the truth in love, he told me to forget about my agenda because it wasn’t nearly as important as I imagined it to be, and trust in the Lord. Trust in his will and in his timing. I came away from our conversation relieved and rejoicing because I was reminded that I can cast my burden on my Lord Jesus because he cares for me. I spoke with another one of my friends about my feelings—about this burden that I was carrying and he confirmed what my first friend said. Only he didn’t call it a lack of humility on my part, he called it pride. And that surprised me. My friend laughed at me (or with me, perhaps), when I told him that previous to my conversation with him I did not think I was capable of pride. I thought pride was something that other people were plagued with, but not me. And I think that attitude is a good illustration of verse 8. Because the devil is indeed our enemy. And he is an opportunist. He prowls and pounces. It’s true that he has a mighty roar, but his feet are padded. He’ll sneak up on you and attack you where you are most vulnerable. And he knows your blind side. He sees best in the dark. Do you remember our teaching from last month, from 2nd Peter 1:9? But if anyone does not have them (does not possess these listed qualities in increasing measure), he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed of his past sins. What does it mean to be spiritually nearsighted—spiritually blind? It means that you are not seeing beyond yourself, beyond your needs and your space. You are not seeing the world around you the way God sees it. What does it mean to be spiritually forgetful? It means that you don’t remember how Jesus clothed himself with humility and showed you the full extent of his love. You’ve forgotten that He washed your feet so that you would wash the feet of others. We cannot be self-controlled when we allow ourselves to be controlled by thoughts and emotions that corrupt the Fruit of the Spirit. We cannot be alert to the devil’s attacks when we are preoccupied by things like pride and selfishness. We cannot resist the devil, this “ravening and roaring lion” if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We resist him by standing firm in the faith. We are called to stand firm in the faith, but we are not called to stand alone. We have brothers and sisters throughout the world and within our community who are being stalked and bullied by the devil. We have people very near who are dealing with obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments just like we are. In my recent experience God showed me that we need to seek out brothers and sisters in the faith who can stand next to us on our blind side, and who can remind us of things that we may have forgotten. With our eyes opened and our minds alert, we can fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and we can clothe ourselves in humility as he did. He himself will restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. And so we find ourselves once again at that familiar place where we arrive so often on Sunday mornings: a place of decision. Surrounded by people who love us as only the Church can; confronted with the gentle, inexorable truth of God’s Word and the recurring reality of our brokenness. Am I going to humble myself under the mighty hand of God and accept the good and perfect gifts that he has in store for me? Or am I going to be humbled by pride and selfishness and fear? Am I going to submit to the Author and Finisher of my Faith; the one who loves me and gave himself for me? Or do I choose to be devoured in helpless shame and ruin by the deceiver of my soul? If you have a decision that you need to make or to proclaim this morning I invite you to do so as we sing this Hymn of Invitation.

Double Sixes!

Recently I preached a sermon at Gwynneville Christian Church in the little town of Gwynneville, Indiana. They are lovely folk and they allow me to come once a month and deliver the sermon in their worship service. I posted an illustration that I made for my most recent effort on Facebook. It's kinda primitive and clumsy, like my sermons, but I think it is effective. I thought someone may appreciate reading the manuscript of the sermon.

Good morning, everyone… Well, I guess I’ll just have to admit that Summer is really over and Autumn is in full swing! When did all the leaves change? It seems like it always happens this way. I knew it was coming; the signs were clear to see. But all of the sudden the days are short, the mornings are chilly and now the ground is covered with leaves! Seasons are a fascinating thing. Some seasons, like the seasons of the Earth, move through a regular cycle. Winter, Spring, Summer, then Fall, then Winter and Spring! God promised that as long as the Earth remains we will have a regular cycle of seasons. The Earth is renewed year after year. The seasons of our lives are not quite like that. Every day is a new day, but we only get one life. If you’re like me, you’re still basking in warm memories of Summer and you’re not ready to admit that the autumn years are creeping up on you. These reading glasses are a constant reminder that my autumn years are creeping up on me. It’s not just that my eyesight is failing, but I keep forgetting where my glasses are. I’ve got like 8 pair of these scattered around where I live and work and I still have to search for them. But, despite my forgetfulness and the frosty morning I was able to remember that today is the 4th Sunday and I found my way to Gwynneville Christian Church, where it’s always warm inside, and every week we renew our devotion to the Person, the Word, and the Kingdom of God and we reaffirm our fellowship with one another. Today we are returning to the text I preached from the last time I was here. I came in my shirtsleeves on a warm September morning and we opened our Bibles together to 2nd Peter, chapter 1. 2nd Peter 1:5-9 NIV For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Verse 5 begins with the words, “For this very reason”. For what reason? Why is it important that you and I understand the meaning of these next several verses? Because God is Sovereign and Holy; because he is at work in your life, your community, your world. He has called you to join him in that work and he has given you everything you need for the task at hand. I drew a diagram to illustrate the relationship of these seven virtues that come out of the text. As you see, I’ve made it in the shape of a circle or a wheel, as opposed to a ladder or a timeline. Because, while there is kind of a progressive element, in that goodness (just beyond the starting point) refers to the basic or rudimentary qualities of discipleship; and love, Christ-like love, (at the end of the list) is in many ways the pinnacle of virtues, our growth and maturity in Christ is not just linear. There is a repetitive, or cyclical or by-demand element to our spiritual formation and growth. I’ve got my little people, as you can see, entering the diagram in faith. We know that: “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and the he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV So we come to Christ by grace, through faith. It’s kinda like a board game. You begin with your game-piece – your slipper, or your racecar, or your thimble, at faith and from there you move directly to goodness. (Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.00.) The object of the game is to keep moving, keep growing. Don’t get stuck. If you’ll kindly indulge me, for the sake of my diagram, let’s say you have to move your game-piece all the way around the circle. So to your faith, add goodness. To your goodness, add knowledge. And then it starts to get tough for some of us. We might get stuck here and lose a turn. Because we gotta add self-control. But that’s OK—we’ll catch up! We’re all winners here if we come through faith and we keep moving and growing! If there is any question or doubt in your mind (are there any theologians in the house?) about what, if any, role you and I play in our own spiritual development it may be instructive to note that self-control, by definition, is something that you must do for yourself. Or at the very least there is certainly some element of personal effort. And to self-control add endurance. Here we get another clue about the nature and process of our spiritual growth. Endurance is something that takes time. That’s why they call it endurance—it involves a duration. You don’t begin with it. It can only be endurance if it has some maturity to it. To endurance add godliness, brotherly kindness, and Love. For the purpose of my illustration let’s say that you have to move all the way around the circle one time and spend as much time as necessary on each area. And then we get to verse 8. This is the increasing measure part. As we walk with the Lord, in the light of his Word, we constantly encounter opportunities for growth in each of these areas. And if we are growing in grace and applying our faith to the life that we live in theses bodies—if we are being effective and productive—there is always going to be an area we need some work in. As we grow in some areas of our lives there are gonna be other areas that may lag behind. And we’ll have challenges that arise and responsibilities thrust upon us that force us to grow or get stuck. And Jesus is there, right in the middle of it. He provides the grace to help us in the time of our need. Amen? But… And there it is. There’s the but. There’s the October thunderstorm that blows all the leaves off the trees. There’s the first hard frost that kills all the petunias. Verse 9, “…if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind…and forgetful…” Nobody wants to be nearsighted and forgetful. I’ve never heard anybody brag about how blind they are, or about all the things they forget. What does it mean to be spiritually nearsighted—spiritually blind? It means that you cannot see beyond yourself, beyond your needs and your experience. You cannot see the world around you the way God sees it. You don’t see how he is working and how he is calling you to join him. It means that your are stuck. You’re not growing! What does it mean to be spiritually forgetful? It means that you don’t remember how Jesus lifted you up out of the “miry clay” and set your feet on a rock, and put a new song in your mouth. You have forgotten how Jesus has set your free to be his servant! And now you’re stuck. You’re not growing! And that’s why you look down, and you see dead leaves all over the ground, and you’re depressed, instead of looking up and seeing the bright colors of Autumn, and praising God for the rest and renewal that he promises in his word. Sometimes you gotta come all the way back to goodness and relearn some of the basics of your faith, so you can move forward again. And Jesus will meet you there! But you gotta invest a little humility. I remember playing a lot of board games when I was a kid—especially during the winter and the holidays. We played Candyland and Chutes and Ladders and Aggravation and Backgammon. I still enjoy boardgames! Don’t you? It’s fun to roll double sixes and get an extra turn and keep moving! But sometimes you land in a bad place and you miss a turn. You might even get stuck while everyone else keeps moving. But even worse is when you get sent all the way back to the beginning! (Actually the worst thing is when your little sister sends you back and laughs at you, but I digress). But that’s OK. It really is. Because we are all playing the same game and we keep playing until everybody makes it home. You only lose when you quit playing. I could go on to talk about what it might look like to be stuck on, or to return to each of these areas and how to get growing again, but you can study it for yourself and God can speak truth directly to your heart. In just a few minutes our song leader is going lead us in a hymn of invitation. The invitation is always open for you to come forward or to otherwise grab someone’s attention to say “hey, how can I take that first step of faith in Christ?” Or to say “hey, I feel like I’m stuck, I’m not growing, what should I do?” Let’s pray together and then we’ll sing.