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Living Quietly

6/27/2016

A number of our church’s youth and I returned this past weekend from an awesome and uplifting week at High Rock Bible Camp. I shared with the church yesterday the encouragement we received by being there, and a big thanks goes out to everyone helped make the week so great.

But today I want to tell you something that was not present at camp – noise. There was definitely the noises of play, laughter, singing, and work being accomplished. But there was very little noise about what was going on in the world. I had limited cell phone service, so my phone was rarely on me. I didn’t know the latest news or the most recent Facebook controversy. It was calming to live simply, enjoy the positive company of others, work hard, play hard, and also have some time for rest, worship, and contemplation. My time at camp reminds me of Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12:

“But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

With constant access to information and entertainment, our world today is noisier than ever. To experience the life described in this passage, we must be deliberate about it. If we’re not, we will be swept away with all kinds of talk and activity that bless no one. Camp allowed me to better appreciate the quiet life and the beauty of God’s creation.

Some may find this ironic when it is shared on social media, but this is not an anti-technology rant. Neither is it about burying our heads in the sand or running to the hills to start a commune. It is about building communion with God and our fellow man. Neither will be possible when our lives are filled with useless noise.

In your own way each day, be deliberate about not letting your phone, Facebook, or the latest news story dictate where your heart and mind reside. Aspiring to live your own quiet life may not make you famous or always keep you in the know. But it will allow for you to be blessed and to be a blessing to others.

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Without a Shepherd

6/20/2016

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Check out this scene of mass chaos from Spain: http://abcnews.go.com/International/1300-sheep-scatter-road-spanish-shepherd-falls-asleep/story?id=39723004

If you didn’t watch it, it’s a video of 1300 sheep wandering the streets of Huesca, Spain after their shepherd fell asleep on the job. Sheep without a shepherd is not a pretty sight.

Jesus saw something similar. Mark 6:34 says, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

The world is full of people today who are confused, wandering, and lost like those shepherdless sheep in Spain. Jesus lived in such a world, and that world continues today. The truth is “all we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all need a shepherd. We need guidance – not the guidance of politicians or managers, but the guidance of a shepherd. We need someone to go in front of us to show us the way, one who provides and protects, and one who never abandons. We need the kind of shepherd David describes in Psalm 23.

The good news is that Jesus came to be that shepherd. This is what He says in John 10:11-16:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

Does your life feel like it’s going in circles like those sheep in Spain? Are you lost? If so, listen to the Shepherd’s voice and follow him. Help others do the same. After all, we are all sheep, and we all need the Shepherd. Be blessed and be a blessing this week.

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Unfinished Masterpieces

6/13/2016

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I am no art connoisseur, but there is an exhibition currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that I would like to see. It’s called “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible,” and it is a collection of masterpieces that were never finished. You can read more about it here:
www.npr.org/2016/05/31/479584758/you-gonna-finish-that-what-we-can-learn-from-artworks-in-progress

In many ways, the exhibition represents our lives. Ephesians 2:10 says that, “For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV). The word “workmanship” is translated as “handiwork” in some translations, but I especially like the New Living Translation for this passage. Here is its wording:

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

The original Greek word used here is poiema, and it’s the same word from which we get “poem.” If we let God do the writing, we are His poem. If we let God do the painting, we are His masterpiece. And Christ Jesus is the tool employed by the eternal artist.

Like those works of art in New York, we are unfinished. God is still working on you and me, and as we surrender the canvas of our lives to his Son, it becomes more and more beautiful.

The works of God’s creation are breathtaking to behold. As beautiful as they are, mankind redeemed and remade in the image of Christ Jesus is God’s ultimate masterpiece. Be blessed and be a blessing by allowing the Artist’s work be displayed in you.

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Small Churches

6/6/2016

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Yesterday my family and I were blessed to worship with a small church. We were among two dozen who gathered for worship with Halls Harbor Road Church of Christ (hhrcoc.com), a congregation of eight members. When it comes to churches, everyone defines “small” differently, but that meets most everyone’s definition. Being on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the church is blessed by many vacationers, but those vacationers come and go on a weekly and seasonal basis.

Now let me tell you what was not small – our worship together. The singing was spirited, the prayers were God-centered, the Lord’s Supper was reflective, and the message by Colonel Pratt encouraged me to find strength and direction in God’s word. It also seems that the vision at Halls Harbor Road is not small. This summer they are hosting FEMA training nights so that they are prepared to serve the community if/when a natural disaster comes to the Outer Banks. The church obviously is not using their size as an excuse to restrain God’s work through them. Their faith in God, His word & His work are anything but small!

Being the church is not about size. Some want “their church” small because they are comfortable with small. Some mistakenly believe that a church’s sense of family or intimacy can only be experienced in small churches. Some tragically enjoy remaining culturally isolated and unwilling to take Jesus’ good news to the lost. This is a small church mindset not because of the church’s size, but because of people’s view of the church.

On the flipside, some seek big churches where they can get lost among the crowd and remain disconnected. That way no one can know too much about their lives or notice when they’re not present. Some like big churches for the programs they offer but refuse to give their own time and talents to the church’s efforts. This is a small church mindset not because of the church’s size, but because of people’s view of the church.

Being the church is certainly not about size. I have seen small churches with both small and big faith. I have seen big churches with both small and big faith. Numbers had nothing to do with faith. In Revelation 3:8, Jesus acknowledges to the church in Philadelphia that they “have but little power.” But He tells them, “I know your works,” and that was a very good thing for those struggling Christians. As a result, He “set before [them] an open door, which no one is able to shut.”

While the world might reward numbers, the Lord rewards faithfulness. If you have let church size influence your faith, open your eyes to see the Lord. After all, the church is about Him. When the church sees Him and shows Him to others, their faith will never be small.

On a final note, if you are ever in the Outer Banks area, encourage the Halls Harbor Road Church of Christ (hhrcoc.com) with your presence. Whether you find yourself out-of-town or in your hometown and tempted not to worship with a “small” church, just do it. After all, God remains God and Christ continues to live in his church, no matter the size of the church. You may find yourself surprised at how God can bless you and use you to bless others.

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Living Quietly

Without a Shepherd

Unfinished Masterpieces

Small Churches

Blaine Kelly

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Blaine Kelly

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Recent Posts

Categories

SERVICE TIMES:

We're Social!

FIND US!

Without a Shepherd

Unfinished Masterpieces

Small Churches