I’ve joined another team as well. You can find out more about it here. It is a continuation of the fast that Jason and I completed during Lent and the challenge that some of us took on to only drink tap water during Lent. (By the way, the check should be in the mail soon to supply materials to provide clean water for one village as a result of that. Almost $100 was raised through the water bottle. Thanks!)

Team World Vision is sponsoring a team to run in the 13.1 Marathon being run in Minneapolis on August 22. Along with looking like it could be fun (?), it helps to raise money for clean water projects through World Vision. I’d love to have your help in raising some money.

I mentioned to the kids that Jesus once had a friend who died also. His name was Lazarus. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, were distraught. But when Jesus Himself went to the tomb, He wept.

Just like the adults at Bethel wept today (and often over the last few days) because of the grief we are feeling. I think the kids understood. BUT, what I should have said was:

“I wonder what Mary and Martha and the disciples thought when they saw Jesus crying.” After all, they believed that Jesus was “…the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:27) I wonder what you think when you see the Son of God crying? When you see the one who heals the sick overwhelmed with grief? When you hear the sobs of the One who caused demons to cry out in fear? I wonder what you think then?

I can certainly understand why someone would be afraid. Whatever can make God cry must be really bad or really powerful.

I can understand why someone would be confused. Jesus had certainly seen death before. In fact, He stated that He was the resurrection and the life. Why would He weep in the face of death?

I could even understand why someone would have some doubts. If God weeps, doesn’t that mean that He is somehow not in control of the situation before Him?

But that’s not what John says. He writes, “Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” (John 11:36)

Our tears are indicators of our love for those who are lost. In which case, neither the children nor the adults should be afraid of the tears that we see. Rather, we should be thankful for them. The cause of the tears is not the death; the cause of the tears is the love that we have for the one who is gone.

And, when we cry, we should also remember that Jesus wept. His tears are not caused by His grief over the loved one who has died – especially since those who die in Christ have now been brought to be with Him. Rather, God’s tears are evidence of His love for those of us who are left behind. Bring on the tears!

The game goes like this: go to the hardware store looking for help with something for which a solution has not yet been made. Ask for help. Watch them scratch their heads. Leave empty-handed. If it doesn’t seem fruitful or fun to you…make your own game! I enjoy this one. What I especially like is that often, while we’re walking the aisles, I find something that I can make work to do what I want.

OK, so you want an example. I have been missing a knob on my car stereo for years…like, at least 9 years. I decided it was time to fix it, so I went to the hardware store to buy a knob. Did they have one? No. So the game began. As I walked the aisles, I noticed two things that I might be able to make work. One was a nylon tube that I figured I could cram on to the knob holder thingy and it would be easier to grab and spin than that thin piece of metal. I also found a cork. I figured I could cram that on to the metal piece and spin it. It worked…or a day. Then it stripped out in the middle.

Anyway, I thought I would let you in on the fun…but at my expense rather than the hardware folks’. So, here’s the game: throw me a question that you would like to have answered in a sermon. It could be a passage that you don’t understand or a parable that leaves you scratching your head. Perhaps you’re baffled by a concept (grace, justice, the rapture, etc.) or are looking for advice in an area of your life. Take your best shot!

How can you get your questions to me? Well, go to pastorcal.com and leave a comment, for one. Or send me an email. If you want a low-tech solution, there is a box currently labeled The Power of One on the table as you come in the front door. Drop a question/note/comment in the box and let me help you wrestle with the concept in a sermon this summer.

One caveat: the questions are due on or before May 7. The following Wednesday, the Worship Planning Team will be meeting and they’ll want to know what is coming up in order to plan worship services.

As the old Pat Benatar song went, “Hit me with your best shot!”

Today is the day for Taxes and Thanksgiving. You probably don’t hear those two words in the same sentence very often! There are some who will disagree that they belong together. I’d love to get your feedback. (You can leave comments if you’d like.) But at least hear me out.

Many years ago, Jesus was asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” The people who asked the question were trying to set him up. If he said, “No.” he would be in trouble with Rome. If he said, “Yes.” they would say that he was not fully committed to Israel. The Jews despised paying taxes because they hated being under Roman rule and many of those who were collecting the taxes were corrupt.

Jesus answered, “Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” Then he asked, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

As I understand it, taxes are one way that we participate in this great nation in which we live. Paying our fair share of taxes ranks right up there with casting our votes and being good citizens. I for one am thankful to be paying taxes in the United States rather than in Iraq, the Sudan, Haiti or Russia. Let me tell you why.

• I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to vote for my leaders. While I don’t always agree with how they arrive at decisions or the decisions that they make, I had a chance to influence the process.
• I’m thankful that I can influence the process by writing letters, praying and attending rallies. Granted, “they” don’t always listen (if by listening I mean doing what I want them to). But they’re not allowed to stop me from trying!
• I’m thankful that I have good schools to send my children to. Sure, I wish we had better facilities for them to study in. But our experience has been mostly good with our teachers and administrators.
• I’m thankful for roads that allow me to walk, run, bike, roller-blade and drive everywhere I need (or just want) to go. Since we just paved a parking lot not that long ago, I know how expensive these projects are. And I’m not at all looking forward to the inconvenience of bridge demolition and reconstruction. But just think of the alternative – let your bridges slowly deteriorate until they are truly unsafe to walk or drive on.
• While I don’t always agree with how much money is spent on our military or how our military is used, I’m thankful that I feel safe in this country from foreign invaders and from terrorists within.
• And I’m thankful for health care. Yes, it’s ridiculously expensive. Then again, if my foot or my hip hurts, I can get help. If I want to know what’s going on with health, I schedule a physical. If I’m involved in an accident, there’s help nearby.
• I’m thankful for city workers, police and fire departments, libraries, flowers and banners on our streets, help for needy people, laws, environmental oversight… I could go on, but you’d probably stop reading!

What I’m most thankful for is that the money I have in my pocket belongs to the United States of America. It doesn’t have a picture of a dictator on it. It has the pictures of elected officials who have served well. I don’t live in a country that is occupied by a foreign power, but one that is ruled through elected officials. And the tax system may be unwieldy, but the tax collectors aren’t “skimming off the top.”

I’m going to list them here so that you can always come back to them at a later time. (Here’s a cool thing: click on the verse, it will look it up online for you!) As you’ll notice on Sunday, the love that we have for God is intimately connected with how well we know and obey His Word. Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 reads:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Week 1:  Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Week 2:  Matthew 28:19-20
Week 3:  Ephesians 4:11-13
Week 4:  Psalm 95:6-7
Week 5:  Malachi 3:10-11
Week 6:  Hebrews 10:23-25

• look at the basics of the Christian faith;
• investigate the reasons behind church membership;
• discuss the purpose behind what we do (and don’t do) as a congregation; and
• talk about expectations that we have for our members (and why!).

You might be thinking that the only thing we’re leaving out is the kitchen sink. But wait! There’s more! I would also like to have two discussion opportunities. I’ll arrange for there to be a light dinner so that we can eat and talk. The first one will be on April 18. While all questions will be good questions, I’d like to especially focus on the Christian Reformed Church in particular – our theology, our history and our various ministries. On the sixth (and final) Sunday (May 16), I’ll again have a light lunch available after the service. This time will be more open-ended. I will do my best to answer any questions that you have about the expectations of members OR what to do next if you would like to become a member of Bethel Church or…whatever is on your mind.

I will be sending out a letter this week to those I think are considering membership at Bethel. This letter will include more details, especially about the membership process at Bethel. If you don’t receive a letter, don’t feel hurt. Just come to Bonnie or myself and we will get you a copy of the letter.

By the way, there will be a separate class available for any youth that are interested in publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ. If you sense that you are ready to take this official step in following Jesus, please talk to Jason Ruis or Pastor Cal.

Even if you didn’t know before, it’s not too late to help! At Bethel Church, we have a blue water bottle in The Gathering Place where you can contribute. You can also go directly to Blood:Water Mission and find ways to give. Or send a check to the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and designate it for clean water.

We take clean water for granted. Others have to walk miles to get dirty water. The time spent is taken from work and school – with obvious long-term consequences.

I know that when I first saw the title, I said, “Why are you recommending this to me?” It didn’t take long to understand. This book is not just about leadership, but about every relationship that we have. It speaks to how we talk to each other, how we feel toward each other and how we treat each other. While not a Christian book, I see the words of Jesus – “love your neighbor as yourself” – all throughout the principles that are discussed.

Along with that is another book that was recommended to me by members of Bethel. “Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs” describes the relationships specifically between a husband and wife, but really deals with any relationship between males and females (husband/wife, mother/son, father/daughter, coworker/boss, friend/friend). This book more than any other has given me insight into what I as a man need and into what Brenda, my wife, needs. As with any other book, the power is in the follow-through.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box

The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict

Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs

On Sunday, I’m going to be manning a table after the worship service in The Gathering Place. I will have information about the Forty Days of Water fast that some of us are doing as part of our Lenten journey. On the table will be a blue Blood:Water Mission water bottle. If you would like to contribute to providing clean water for people in other lands, please place your contribution in the water bottle. The money that is raised will be used to support a CRWRC project in Uganda. There will be plenty of information available and I’ll be available to answer questions.