The good news is that we don’t have to focus on the philosophy in order to benefit from the study. Philosophy would turn our attention to the most difficult of all equations – 1 = 3. How can ONE God be made of THREE persons? We can understand 3 gods – but that’s not what the Bible teaches. We can understand one god who gives rise to other gods – again, not Biblical. But how can there be three separate persons making one God? It doesn’t compute.

Many analogies have been put forward to make sense of this. Here’s an article that summarizes them – and criticizes them. Is this Trinity like water – it can be in the form of ice, water or steam? Yes…and no. How about an egg? Shell, yolk and whites are separate parts, but they make one egg. Yes…and no. Is the Trinity like a family? Father, mother and child are three separate persons, but one family? Yes…and no. In the end, all of these analogies break down at some point. The devotions won’t be going into the philosophical theology so you might want to read the article to pick up some of that. It certainly wouldn’t hurt!

I’m toying with a couple of options for understanding. One option is to rewrite the equation. Rather than 1 = 3, how about ONE = 3? The numbers represent entirely different things. ONE speaks of God in His divinity and how His divinity is different than humanity. There is really one ONE true God. And yet when God reveals Himself to us, He does so in 3 different ways. It would be like looking at a beam of light through a prism. There’s one beam of light, but depending on where you put your focus, there are different colors that shine through.

Another option is that of a river. Say there is a large river flowing down a mountain. At some point, the river divides into three different branches. One branch goes tumbling over a cliff and becomes a waterfall. In the waterfall, we see beauty and power. Another branch flows a winding path over rocks and branches, creating rapids. The rapids speak of movement and change, for as the water runs over the rocks, it smooths and shapes them. Yet a third branch heads off to a valley, where it spreads out into a pond. It is peaceful and still, yet not at all stagnant.

Further downstream, the branches reunite. Those who encounter the river when it is united would say it is one river. Others encounter the river when it has divided into branches. They have very different experiences of the river – and might not even realize that it is the same river – until they rise above the river to such a height that they can see it united and separated. Then it becomes clear. The one river made the three branches; the three branches made the one river.

At any rate, the devotions will focus on the practical theology. If there are three, what do they do? And how do they relate to each other? If there is one, what unites the three into one? The practical theology is much easier to understand. And, in my opinion, is much more “devotional” in nature.

I hope you have been using the devotions and benefiting from them. We’d love to have you join us in our Sunday morning open discussion of the devotions and how God is leading us. We meet at 9:30 in the Gathering Place. Feel free to join us and listen in or chime in…as you feel comfortable.

If you have no idea what I am talking about when I refer to the devotions, may I suggest/request that you go to this page and sign up? You can unsubscribe at any time from within the email that you receive. But you find that you like what you receive and enjoy the journey that the devotions take you on.

I know of at least one Council member who doesn’t particularly care for the title. That’s understandable. Often, when we characterize people as “playing church,” we mean that we don’t think they are taking their faith and the cost of discipleship seriously enough. In other words, “playing church” is a judgment that they are playing games rather than taking their faith seriously.

One of the things that I don’t like about describing people as people who are just “Playing Church” is that we give the impression that people are either “playing” or they are “serious.” It’s black or white, light or dark, on or off. But that simply doesn’t fit with the reality of what the life of faith is like.

I think a better image for the Christian life is that of a journey. We are on a path toward righteousness. Some are at the beginning of the path; others are nearing the end. Some have stopped walking for a while; others are running. Some might even be turned around or have gotten off the path. But we gather together as a congregation because we all in our own way are striving to walk the path toward Christian maturity.

So, why make such a bold statement that we are going to stop “Playing Church?” Because we are. Going to stop. “Playing Church.” Inasmuch as we are pretending to follow Jesus Christ, we’ll stop pretending and admit the truth. Insofar as we are not giving our best effort, we’ll stop pretending that we are doing our best and we’ll engage in a more concerted effort toward growing in Christlikeness. Or, as the announcement will say on Sunday, we will “put an end to formalities and rituals and get back to the basics of the Christian faith.”

In 2012, we at Bethel Church are going to embark together on a journey toward maturity in our faith.

I did mention to you a video that had to do with learning to walk. You can find it here (http://www.carbonfibergear.com/ellie-may-at-5-years-old-is-the-youngest-person-ever-to-have-carbon-fiber-legs/).

I hope you enjoy the poem. I know I did!

I have to admit that when I first saw the book and read the introduction, I thought, “The guy is selling snake oil.” The title of the book seemed corny; the claims that he made seemed too grand. Then I tried it over the course of two days of prayer and reflection and found that it was addressing a concern that I’ve been wrestling with regarding prayer.

When I think of prayer, I am often “task-oriented.” I have a list of concerns that need to be prayed for and a limited amount of time to pray over them. Prayer becomes a task. But prayer is supposed to be a conversation with the Creator of the universe that deepens my love for Him by filling me with His love for me.

In “The PAPA Prayer,” Larry Crabb offers a way to experience a real and honest relationship with God through prayer. As we enter into this relationship with God through the PAPA Prayer, we are also led on the path of sanctification – of being made holy.

If you would like to sign up for the devotionals or comment on any of them, you can do so at the Steps2Him blog. A new one is added each morning at 4:00 am (automatically – I’m not usually awake at that time). You can also sign up at MailChimp to have the daily devotional automatically sent to your email address.

On Monday, March 28, I will return to work. It seems kind of odd to say it. I’ll go through my regular morning routine except that – at the end of it – I’ll go to work. I’ll probably park in the same spot (or maybe now I won’t, just to prove myself wrong!), say hi to Bonnie, set up my computer and start thinking about sermons and Art Camp and who to visit and… It will be just like coming back after any other weekend. NOT!

These 12 weeks off have been intense. As I delved into the past, I relived some significant hurts and feel like I am now able to let those memories “rest in peace.” I also worked with a sponsor to go through a 12-Step program through Crossing Recovery. It was very humbling to realize how deeply my character defects – my hurts, fears, resentments and failures – have contributed to the troubles that I continue to deal with today. I also have discovered in a deeper way some of the joys and limitations of present-day relationships. My troubles are far from over; my problems are far from solved. I can only trust that God who has begun a good work in me will complete it as well.

On April 3, I will be preaching again. I have no idea what I will preach on or what it will feel like to be back. I do know that I appreciate the many people from Bethel and beyond who have been so supportive and prayerful during this time away. It has been a gift beyond measure to me and I appreciate your patience with me. Thank you!

While I am in Wisconsin, I would appreciate your prayers for me. They describe their retreats this way:

Our self-directed retreats are a time for rest, reflection, and recreation. Think of the experience as “continuing education of the heart.”

For each pastor and ministry couple, the process is unique, but the outcome is the same—you leave the retreat refreshed, renewed, and more deeply in love with the God you serve.

So pray for that: refreshment, renewal and a deeper love with the God I return to serve.

By now, most of you reading this know that I am taking a 12-week leave of absence. I partially explained the reason behind that on Sunday when I announced it during our morning worship. Since not everyone was there on Sunday and since some might want more of an idea of what I’m going to be doing, I’m posting this today.

The shortest explanation I can give is that I am tired. I have been under a great deal of stress in my personal life and was finding myself less and less able to do my work as a pastor. There are things – weaknesses, if you will – that I want to work on personally that I know are going to take even more energy. Knowing that I could not face my weaknesses while at the same time serve our congregation, I asked for the leave of absence.

During the leave of absence, I will be focusing on two areas:

The Past: I plan on dealing with the losses and grief of my childhood so that I can live in the present, rather than the past.

Relationships: I plan on forging relationships individually and in small groups so that I can learn how to be in relationship with others more fully.

FAQs:

1. What are you taking time off from? Pretty much everything. If there are crises or deaths, I will want to be available to the congregation still. But I will not be attending meetings, preaching, doing regular pastoral care, maintaining office hours, etc.
2. Where will you go? For the most part, I will be around. I am going to look for private places where I can work through the past. But I’ll still take my kids to school and pick them up after. Most evenings, Ill be at home – as much as my kids schedules will allow me to be.
3. Can we still talk to you? I will be meeting with some people for breakfast, coffee, lunch…whatever. I have been advised to limit that so that I can get the rest I need.
4. When will you be back? The 12 weeks will end on March 28. I should be preaching again on April 3.
5. Will you get paid? No. I didn’t feel it was fair to ask the church to pay me while I was not working.

A journey to the center of the earth: what would possess someone to try it? What made them think it was possible? Or that they would survive? And would any of them have dared to try it alone?

Beginning in January, 2011, our congregation is going on a journey as well. It’s not a science fiction journey to the center of the earth; it’s not an extreme vacation journey to a far-off land; it’s a journey to the heart of God.

The idea for the Ninety-Day Adventure in Prayer originally came from Vital Churches Institute. We’re modifying it to fit our congregation, but the basics are the same:

The practice of daily prayer. When we practice a new habit ninety days in a row it more easily becomes part of our ongoing lifestyle. To help in this, Rob Braun is working on a daily devotional based on the Heidelberg Catechism that not only teaches us what prayer is but encourages us to practice prayer. Each day, you will have questions that will help you to reflect on Scripture, respond to what God is saying to you and to pray.

The practice of praying in very small groups. We would also like to encourage you to be involved with 2 others in a prayer trio. The trios meet weekly for twelve weeks, in person if possible, to share what you have been learning in your personal times of prayer and to pray with and for each other.

During this 90 days, we anticipate that those who get involved will establish a habit of prayer AND form new and lasting friendships.

I’d like to invite you to join together on Sunday night, January 2 at 6:00 pm to hear more about this 90-day adventure in prayer…and to take the first step on the journey by committing yourself to daily prayer on your own and weekly prayer in a very small group.

Here’s the quote.

“Wonder is my second favorite condition to be in, after love – and I sometimes wonder whether there’s even a difference: maybe love is just wonder aimed at a beloved. Wonder is like grace, in that it’s not a condition we grasp: wonder grasps us. We do have the freedom to elude wonder’s grasp. we have the freedom to do all sorts of stupid things. By deploying cynicism, rationalism, fear, arrogance, judgmentalism, we can evade wonder nonstop, all our lives. I’m not too fond of that gnarly old word, sin, but the deliberative evasion of wonder does bring it to mind. It may not be biblically sinful to evade wonder. But it is artistically and spiritually sinful.”

So, what do you think? Is wonder (aimed at God or His creation or life in general) an important part of your spiritual life?

• we take time to give thanks to God, the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17);
• we open our eyes to see the ways that God is blessing others (Psalm 107:31);
• we encourage each other to see that God can work good even in difficult circumstances (Romans 8:28)
• we remember that these blessings pale in comparison to what God is going to bring (Romans 8:18).

During our worship service, we will have an open mic time – a time in which you are encouraged to share with us what you are thankful for this year. Would you take a few moments right now to consider what you are thankful for…and how sharing that on Thursday morning could encourage thankfulness in others?

This week during worship, we’ll ask the question, “Who really lives that way?” In the book, you’ll notice that Francis Chan gives a number of examples that illustrate in real life how people have lived out their faith. I would encourage you to read/reread the chapter and think about what life would have been like to be one of the people mentioned there.

Another option is to follow the websites. He lists three:

www.mossyfoot.com – Really? Lack of shoes and education leads to starvation? Yep. And the treatment/solution is simple and inexpensive? Yep. So what are we waiting for?

www.beumin.org (which will also give you a chance to go to http://rhemaforthenations.com/default.aspx, where there is more information)

www.thesimpleway.org – no simple solutions here…just digging in and gutting it out for the love of God and for the love of people. Crazy!

But don’t just go to gather information or even just to learn about what others are doing. Go so that you can listen to God tell you what He wants you to do.

In our worship time, we won’t focus on the dramatic examples of faith that show up in Hebrews 11 nor in the book. Rather, we’ll look to our own lives and the lives of those around us to ask, “What can God do with ordinary people in Princeton, Zimmerman, Milaca, Pease and Cambridge who want to love their neighbors as themselves?”