Into the Fire

What are the things that you look forward to in life? Summer? Graduation? Vacation? Kids moving out? Retirement?

What do you do during the seasons of pain? You know what I mean, those times when we suffer. Maybe it’s the loss of a job followed by a long stretch of unemployment, a time when you question your ability to provide for your family, your value in the marketplace, your significance to God. Maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, a time of grief and regrets, a time of loneliness and emptiness. Maybe it’s a season of illness, maybe immensely painful for a time or maybe progressive, degenerative, and terminal. What do you do during times like these?

How do seasons of suffering affect your faith? Are you the same person spiritually when you come out as when you went in? I’ve found that few people emerge the same as they entered. So, is your faith stronger or shaken? Has it become more sure or is it feeble or absent when you emerge from the darkness into the light?

That is what our Grace Church family finds itself in right now, a season of suffering. The emotions are all across the spectrum. Some are in extreme dispair; there is no doubt in their mind that they are in the crucible of pain. The ones who are pleased perhaps don’t realize it, but they are in a very similar place. Because God’s Word tells us that times of suffering come for the testing of our faith.

You see, some of us profess faith and think we’re good-to-go. But when the testing by fire comes, we find out the value of that faith. Scripture tells us that we will all eventually be tested in this way:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

By Peter tells us that we don’t have to wait for Judgment Day to find out if we have genuine faith. He says that there are trials in life which serve as pre-tests, seasons God allows so we can know how we’re doing in our journey of faith:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

So, Grace family, we are all in a time of testing. The future of Grace Church is a product of the responses of each of us to that testing. It could be lots worse; the church Peter was writing to was being beaten, tortured, and fed to wild animals. But the test is the same. What response will our faith produce?

Tough Times? Reflect and Refresh...

Well, the hits on this blog have been thru the roof over the last week. No doubt, people who were less-than-patient with waiting for the church letter about Scott were searching for clues. No doubt, they thought they found lots. They may have. This something that Grace Leadership has been living for months.

Of course, you've probably been wondering why things have gone silent. Maybe you have received and read your church letter by now and can begin to appreciate why. It's not for lack of effort. I have written a half dozen posts since the last one, but the time was not right to post them.

When I'm in a tough time, I go to something familiar, especially if there are fond memories associated with it. This week, I stumbled upon a video of a couple that I did ministry with at my previous church. I was overcome with a flood of warm emotions, something the Lord knew I needed at the time.

While I'm not ready to start really blogging again, I wanted to share the clip with you. Who knows? Maybe I can convince Jeff and Vangie that they need to take a trip to Lancaster County. Maybe they would like to try Shoo-fly Pie or Whoopie Pies. And maybe they would help us learn that when we cry out to our Lord, it is right and beautiful. He is our only hope. All else will disappoint...

Gather in the Park

CONNECT Ministry gathered on Sunday afternoon to celebrate as God’s people at Grace Church all which He is doing and all which He wants to do thru us in our Groups Ministry. It was great to see hundreds of our Grace family, from newborn babies to our seniors, eating, laughing, and playing together.

I even had an elderly woman who was not with our group come to me to ask what all the celebration was about. She was here from New Jersey with her granddaughter, visiting her son who recently relocated to Lititz. I just told her that we were a group of church folks who had worshiped together in the morning and were now partying together in the park. She was amazed and asked which church we were from, because she felt her son needed a “family” here in his new home. By the end of our short conversation, she was wondering aloud if she should move to Lititz with her ailing mother-in-law from Florida because Lititz looked like a great place to experience real community.

I really appreciate all of the hard work of our volunteers who planned and executed the event. Also, I want to express a special “Thank you!” to all of the folks who attended and those who made donations above their meal ticket. The final event cost the CONNECT budget less than $600. You all ROCK!

I’ve had a little time following the event to reflect on the message I delivered with the help of the Becker’s. I appreciated the feedback I received from some of you. I heard that the message was both inspirational and tough to hear. Good! That means that it aligned well with God’s Word! Here are some bullet points the day after:

• The lies of the culture are fueled by our enemy and are designed to distract and divert you from God’s will for your life. Your life is NOT about seeking comfort and order.


• God-inspired vision for your future creates opportunities for both fear and a great story.


• You have to travel thru the intense conflict of your story in order to create the character transformation and joy which you desire. There is no easy, safe road.


• The very issues or events of your life that you think disqualify you from service to the Lord are the very reason that He wants to use you. At the end of your story, all glory will be His since He was clearly working thru weak vessels.


• If you’re ready to write a great story with your life, make sure you do like any good storyteller and bring others along with you. Oh yeah, and don’t forget that the Lord is your guide!

(NUTS! I had intended to embed a video from Dr. John Piper, a pastor whom I admire a lot, but I think the enemy is thwarting my efforts. I have been trying unsuccessfully for 3 days using 4 different video formats, all to no avail. So, please try this link: http://bit.ly/cveINa. I hope it works for you. S)