Letting go is rarely easy…Letting go of a child who is no longer a child.

Letting go of a plan that appears to be flawed.

Letting go of a craving or desire that is consuming us.

Letting go of control and the need to be in the driver’s seat.

Letting go of our stubborn determination to make something happen.

Letting go of our fears.

Letting go of our doubts.

Yup, letting go can be terribly hard at times.

Perhaps, however, we need a change of perspective…

If “letting go” means bailing, quitting, and giving up ~ then don’t.

But if it means trusting, believing, waiting for, and hoping in the One who loves us more than His own life ~ then do.

It’s seldom easy, but sometimes the best thing we can do is to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

You are loved,

Pastor Kurt

When I was a kid, I had a fascination with fire. I would steal the wood stove matches my dad thought he’d hidden in the cabinet and I’d go experiment deep into the woods behind our house. Only on occasion did a fire get a bit out of control, which is how my brother and I burned my dad’s shed down. But burning dad’s shed down was nothing compared to what I did one Sunday morning.

Just before leaving for church, my neighbor and I decided to light a small fire–just a quick one. We didn’t have time to go very far into the woods, so we stayed close to my house.  Later that morning in church, the Pastor honored our local firefighters for their service. My mother could not have anticipated that the very firefighters standing in the church sanctuary that morning would later be in our back yard putting out an inferno!

That’s the last fire I ever set. I’ll never forget the look of fear on my dad’s face while standing in our driveway. That fire really shook him and I could see it. The expression of fear on his face was more powerful than any spanking I could have ever gotten (and besides, there was literally no woodshed for him to take me out to anyway).

My Greek professor used to ask the question, “How should we behave around fire?”  “Very carefully” he would answer. We should be careful not to screen out those passages of Scripture that refer to our God as “an all consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). It’s all too easy to imagine a deity who only exists to coddle us and feed our insatiable appetites. Without a proper perspective of why we need to surrender to his love, we may be tempted to create a fluffy god who never ruffles anyone’s feathers and just winks at evil. We must be reminded that we’re dealing with a King. And this King will not be trifled with, especially when he’s given his disciples the direct command to forgive one another. God is a Father who is closer than our next breath. He invites us into an intimate relationship with Him by the Spirit. So, there is a sense in which we have unprecedented access to God Almighty. But access can give us a false sense of familiarity. We must never forget that the God of grace is also the God of wonders. He is the God who knits together atoms and particles and flings white dwarfs and galaxies into place. Take a minute and reflect on the grandeur of his presence.

Pastor Jeff Kennedy

How to Help Someone Leave a Church Without Hurting the Bride!

May 12, 2012 ~ Kurt Bubna

Most pastors have been there, struggling over the news that someone they love and care about has left the church in a tizzy. It doesn’t matter if the church has a hundred people or ten thousand; it always leaves at least a little sting when they go. This is especially true if they go away mad. We cannot control what people do, but we should attempt to pastor them even on their way out the back door.

Some current realities:

1.            Unfortunately, we live in a consumer-driven culture. There are a lot of options if they don’t like your church. “Tick me off,” they think, “and I’ll just take my church-business down the road.”

2.            Too few truly understand the value of connecting and belonging to a local church at a meaningful level. People have a hard time staying the course in marriage these days. Bailing on a church is even easier for many.

3.            Too often people come and go for the wrong reasons. They might have come to our church for the wrong reasons, and if so, they will probably leave someday for the wrong reasons.

Good reasons to leave a local church:

1.            Heretical teaching.

2.            Continued unrepentant sin in the leadership such as moral or financial failure.

3.            Neurotic, controlling, and unbiblical leadership.

4.            A major change in the church’s vision, values, doctrinal beliefs, or practices.

5.            Relocation.

Ten important questions to encourage them to ask before they go:

1.            Are you possibly reacting to something out of fear or a past wound?

2.            Are you being proud or petty?

3.            Are you being self-centered?

4.            Are you being unrealistic in your expectations?

5.            Do you realize that there’s no such thing as the perfect church or the perfect pastor?

6.            Are you being divisive?

7.            Do you realize the ripple effect of your decisions on others?

8.            Do you have an unhealthy pattern of church-hopping?

9.            Will it matter to anyone if you leave (i.e. will anyone care)? And if not, why not?

10.          Do you understand the value of working through hardships and conflict?

What to say and do if they must go:

1.            It may be hard, but it doesn’t have to be ugly. Let’s commit to loving each other no matter what.

2.            Please don’t slide out the back door and hope no one notices. Talk to people who are connected to you in a God-honoring way.

3.            Leave graciously, kindly, and in love. Bless rather than curse. Resist the temptation to concentrate on the warts and wrinkles of the church. You’ll find out, soon enough, that your new church has a few of these too!

4.            As the pastor, you can lead the way by confessing your sin (own it). Ask God to heal any wounds, and ask for forgiveness of anyone you’ve hurt.

Conclusion…

The church is a family of faith. As any family does, we will fail each other from time to time. We will wound and disappoint each other. It should be difficult because we’ve lived our lives connected with a group of people whom we love and who love us.

That being said, people will go, but how someone leaves is important. As leaders and pastors, we may have one last opportunity to teach those who go. We have the privilege of speaking into their lives for the benefit of the Kingdom. So speak the truth in love for the sake of His Bride.

One of my favorite quotes goes something like this, “Be who you is, or you is who you ain’t!” I first heard it in a talk by the author Brennan Manning (though I don’t think it’s original with him). This is a powerful truth. The premise is simple: God made us, and He is forming us into the image of His Son, so why would we ever pretend to be something we are not. Just be the man or woman God has made you to be.
Stop living behind a mask.
Stop striving to behave as if you’re somebody else.
Stop working so hard to change the way you look.
Be who you is, or you is who you ain’t.
Here’s a serious reality you might want to hold on to: Comparison is a trap because it either feeds the beast of pride or the monster of insecurity. Pride comes when we compare ourselves to others and we think we are better, smarter, or prettier. Insecurity consumes us when we compare ourselves and we shake our head in disgust at our real or imagined insufficiencies. Either way, we lose.
God help us! What will it take to figure out that there is always someone better and always someone worse? What’s the point? Really. Why can’t we accept who we are just as God accepts us rather than getting chewed up in the meat grinder of self-destructive comparison?
Today, BE who you are. Let God change what HE wants to change, and leave the worry and stress behind you. Embrace who God is making you to be, and stop worrying about how you measure up to the guy next door or to the woman in the cubicle down the hall.
LIVE in the grace that is yours, and with the joy that comes from being who God has made you to be. He not only loves you, He likes you!

Excerpt from: Epic Grace ~ Chronicles of an Idiot by a champion of grace…Pastor Kurt

I love it when you have a God-defining-moment of revelation right in the middle of a mouth full of fat-saturated, maple syrup smothered, and butter engulfed French toast. I love it when you see something from a fresh and different perspective.
Jesus said in this life we would have trouble (John 16:33). Not just SOME of us, but ALL of us. Not just the foolish, but even the faithful. Not just the idiots who seem to deserve it, but the saints who don’t (or so we think).
Life. Marriage. Family. Kids. They all share at least one thing in common: Trouble.
Where did we get the idea it would be any other way?
When did we start to believe that we are guaranteed a trouble-free life?
What part of our existence on this crazy world we call earth EVER gave us the idea that life would be easy? Seriously, who fed us this lie?
Yes! Life is often good and better than we deserve. Life is frequently full of wonder more amazing than we can fathom with our tiny little pea-brains. Granted, life is sometimes pretty amazing. But life is hard too, and repeatedly filled with challenges that can suck the bone marrow right out of us.
I’m not a pessimist. I really am not one of those guys who only sees the dark side of everything and the glass half empty. As a general rule, I try to notice the beauty and good in this world.
The infectious giggle of a child.
The stunning glory of an exploding sunset over the ocean.
The miracle in the swift flight of a hummingbird or a playful swallow.
The majesty of a snow-covered mountain strutting its splendor through the clouds.
I have so much to be thankful for, and I am surrounded by God’s beauty revealed through so much of life all around me. But life is STILL filled with trouble. It is an ever-present reality in this world. That’s not pessimism; it’s realism.
The GOOD NEWS is…”trouble” is NOT the end of the story! Jesus also said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”

You are loved,

Pastor Kurt

True confession: Sometimes I focus on what pleases ME without a second thought about whether it pleases the LORD. At times, life tends to be ALL about what I want, what I need, and what I desire. I am at the center of my world rather than the One who is I AM.
Here’s a little secret to walking with Jesus, though it shouldn’t be so secret: Find out what pleases HIM and just do it! (Thank you Nike.) Rather than live a ME-centered life, live a Jesus-centered life where you develop the practice of pleasing HIM above all else and above all others (including you).

Eph 5:8,10 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…and find out what pleases the Lord.”

Pastor Kurt

The highest compliment ever given to me came in these five simple words, “I see Jesus in you.” I realized in that moment of affirmation that whatever good is in me is only a REFLECTION of God’s presence and power in my life. I have been created in the image of God, and I have the privilege of reflecting HIS glory and HIS love to those in my sphere of influence. On my best day, I am nothing but a “jar of clay” (and a cracked one at that!). But HIS light is shining in and through my life, and HIS reflection is glorious!
Let Him shine through you today….

2 Cor 3:18b, 4:7
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

You are loved,
Pastor Kurt

Early this morning, my grandson Elijah startled me awake with a loud cry. (Gotta love baby-monitors!) His parents went for an overnighter and left their kids in our loving care. I don’t know if Elijah had a bad dream or if he just woke up in an unfamiliar and dark place, but whatever the reason, he woke up afraid and crying, “Dada!” Of course, both grandma and grandpa rushed to his side to comfort him.

As I tried to go back to sleep I thought, “Who do we cry to when we find ourselves in a dark, scary, and unfamiliar place?” The tragic truth is, sometimes we self-medicate when terrified. Sometimes we try to cover our fear with “things” that only complicate our situation rather that alleviate it. And sadly, sometimes in our scariest moments, we cry out for the wrong comforter.

Here’s a thought: Perhaps the best thing we should do is cry out to the One who has the power to truly calm and console our anxious hearts. And, as any Dad (or Granddad) would, He will come rushing to our side!

“The eyes of the Lord are on those who do what is right and good. His ears are open to their cry.”  Psalm 34:15 (NLV)

You are loved,

Pastor Kurt

In her revealing book Beauty Junkies, New York Times writer Alex Kuczynski offers a scathing critique of our beauty-obsessed culture. In chapter one, she describes a fat injecting procedure by “Dr. Pat,” a well-known dermatologist in New York. The procedure involved extracting the fat from her friend’s buttocks and then injecting it into the woman’s face:

“I watched Dr. Pat bring out one of the vials of fat and, using a fine subcutaneous needle, inject the contents of one of the syringes into the woman’s cheeks and nasolabial folds–the lines that run from the nose to the mouth. The fat was surprisingly thick and bright yellow, a neon sludge that looks almost exactly like the lemon-flavored cake frosting you might buy in a plastic Betty Crocker tub at the supermarket. Just greasier. The procedure is called autologous fat transfer–that is, moving fat from one part of the body to another.”[1]

Though I was aware that people were getting surgical enhancements to slow the effects of aging, I was unaware, and I have to say, aghast at the grotesque and grisly procedures describes in Kuczynski’s book. Everything from shortening toes so that customers can fit into designer shoes, to extracting collagen from cadavers and harvesting fetal foreskin cells for therapy.

Yikes!

All in the name of beauty. All for the sake of recapturing the allure of youth and to counteract the dreadful effects of gravity, time, and stress. I read this and thought, “How have we come to this? How did we go from the serenity of the garden to injecting butt fat into our faces?”

I had sent the question out into the universe, thinking that I would discover the answer through hours of meditating on the Psalms or something. But, I didn’t have to wait long for the answer. The cosmos instantly responded…

“We’re idolaters who crave shortcuts.”

We worship at the altar of physical beauty and have little patience for the hard fought victories of character growth or physical health. Don’t like the length of your nose? Then go see a surgeon for some facial “sculpting.” Don’t like that “muffin top” figure that you’ve developed from years of poor diet and exercise? Just liposuction the fat out. Don’t care for those wrinkles on your forehead or above your lip? Just inject some botulism or butt cheek fat into your facial cheeks.

We may be able to temporarily change our appearance like a tailor altering a cheap suit, but eventually whatever we lift is going to sag. As my friend Brian likes to say, “Even Lazarus had to eventually die again.” Before long, those weird and unnatural collagen injections will wear off. Gravity and time relentlessly stalk us to the grave.

No Botox for the Soul

I remember the first time I ever read the Bible. I was about fifteen years of age, and I literally didn’t understand most of what I was reading. Though I had been converted years earlier, I had wandered far from that salvation experience with the Savior. As a teenager, I recommitted my life to God in dramatic fashion at a youth camp and began to hunger for God’s Word. A friend of mine gave me a NIV Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible.

I just loved the stories of Jesus healing the sick, teaching the crowds, and dying for my sins. At the same time I was reading the Bible, I had also picked up a book entitled Ask Him Anything: God Can Handle Your Hardest Questions by Lloyd John Ogilvie. I remember reading pastor Ogilvie’s answers to the tough questions in the book and thinking, “How can this guy know all of this? How did he learn so much about the Bible and stuff?” What I’m going to tell you next is a little embarrassing for me.

I used to read the chapters in Ogilvie’s book and pretend as if I were the one answering the questions. I would imagine that Ogilvie’s answers were my answers. I envisioned myself as a Bible teacher trying to explain the deep things of the faith in simple, creative ways. That simple little book by a Presbyterian pastor ignited a hunger in me to know God’s Word and to be able to explain it to others.

Sadly, there was no procedure or injection that I could take that would instantly transform me into a Bible scholar. Over the last twenty-six years, I’ve spent countless hours in study, prayer, and devotion. Along the way, I even picked up college, seminary, and doctoral degrees in biblical studies and ministry. I learned early in my Christian experience that there would be no shortcuts to the knowledge I hungered for.

I meet a lot of Christians who would love for me to give them the magic pill. But there isn’t one. Whether you become a bible teacher or a garden-variety student of God’s Word, it takes work. It takes skill to drill down and rightly understand a biblical author’s original intent. It’s a labor of love. A discipline with dividends. The payoff is a heart that revels in the glory of a big God, and a mind that is transformed by His truth.

There are many things I suck at! I’m a horrible dancer. I run about as fast as a pregnant turtle on a beach. As an “artist” – even my stick figures are pathetic. Though I love the game, the only thing I’m good at in basketball is fouling. Trust me, I could go on and on….

Perhaps the thing I’m the worst at, however, is WAITING. I hate to wait! Waiting in the gas line at Costco kills me. Waiting for the IRS to send me my tax refund is irritating. Waiting in the doctors office (for a procedure I’m not too thrilled about anyhow), is aggravating. Waiting for days to get the results of “that test” from the doc is excruciating. When I went through my battle with cancer this past year, WAITING was my least favorite thing to do.

The book of Isaiah describes a different kind of waiting, however. The kind of waiting I want to and need to get good at…

Isaiah 40:29-31 (ESV)

²⁹ God gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. ³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; ³¹ but they who WAIT FOR THE LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

To “wait on the Lord” is to trust in Him. It is to hope in Him. The Hebrew word literally means to “bind ourselves” or to “cling” to God. That’s the kind of waiting worthy of our attention.

Waiting for “things” is hard, but waiting on Him is the answer. And we choose the focus of our waiting….

You are loved,

Pastor Kurt