Pastorpreneur

Love is Here...NOW!

I grew up going to church every Easter (multiple services!) so I relate most easily to those for whom the Easter expeience seems like an annual experience without much personal impact.  SO...every year I pray that history will become HIS STORY and therefore make it OUR STORY.

This year at CVC we are doing our human best to demonstrate the connection and personal impact.  We've already had our first two services on Friday and have our next two today (4:30 and 6 p.m.), followed by 4 on Sunday (8,9:30,11,12:30).  Pray that we will be faithful to the TRUTH and to the STORY of the RISEN KING!

Join with followers of Jesus around the world in celebrating the Risen Christ this Easter!

Making the Holidays Holy-Days

Here's an article I wrote years ago that might be helpful to our blog community:

“How Do I Make My Holidays Holy-Days?”

 

Dr. John Jackson, Senior Pastor, Carson Valley Christian Center

 

 

 

            You know they’re coming.  You can feel it just as certain as the slight chill you sense each fall morning.  And when they come, you hope you’ll be able to hold on in the battle of time, diet, and onslaught of company to retain your sanity and sense of humor.  But isn’t there more to the holidays than all of this?  Is there any hope of making this year’s holiday season one full of peace, joy and happiness?  Can the holidays really become holy-days?  Here are a few tips that can make the difference in your household:

 

1)      Keep your focus clear.  Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is not about a turkey dinner(with apologies to grocery store owners).  Nor is Christmas about getting, or even giving, gifts (with apologies to retail storeowners).  Nothing wrong with food (I love it!), nothing wrong with giving or receiving gifts (I love them too!).  But, the truth is that the first celebrations of these holidays had entirely different meanings than now dominate our thoughts. 

 

Thanksgiving celebrates the provision of God through the harsh seasons of the early years of the Pilgrims.  God supplied through the Indians, and through the work of the people.  Christmas celebrates the birth of the Christ child, given freely by God for the salvation of the world.  The early church took an existing celebration and used it to mark a moment of quiet awe at the gift of God.  This year, determine in advance that you will keep thankfulness in your Thanksgiving and awe in your Christmas.

 

2)      Do something to meet the needs of others.  The quickest way to break the cycle of destructive, hectic, holiday madness is to meet the needs of someone less fortunate than you.  When you participate in a feeding program, when you give clothing to those who need it, when you wrap a gift (new!) for a needy child, you break the cycle of self-absorption that our culture is so capable of fostering.  And by the way…if you have children—make sure they participate with you.  Children are uniquely susceptible to the self-absorption of our time.  And, children are uniquely able to understand the difference between their heightened sense of “want” at this time of year and the very real “need” of others when they see it up close and personal. 

 

3)      Participate in a meaningful holy-day observance.  I know you may not be religious.   But, the holy-days have a way of providing meaning and value to life that is often absent in the rush of our world.  Take time this season to be with people of faith.  Share some moments where you can hear the Christmas story in all the wonder and awe of the first century.   Risk a moment of faith in your hurry up world.  See with awe and majesty what God can do when you risk a single step.

 

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)

Your Life, Motion Pictures, Snapshots

I honestly don't remember if I made this saying up or cobbled it together from various sources.  But I was thinking about it today before staff chapel at CVC (www.cvcwired.com), so I'll share it here:

"Your life is experienced as a motion picture but remembered as a series of snapshots"

Life obviously goes on without interruption (no matter the crisis or victory, time presses forward!).  But, our memories often capture snapshots in time.  During staff chapel, I shared some snapshots I'd had in other people's lives (pain, medical news, joys) and a couple from our family vacation praying with all 8 of us in Indiana (All our family and Derek, Jennifer's fiancee) and playing football together at the National College Football Hall of Fame.

We then talked about the snapshots that were in our mind and hearts that morning.  What snapshots are in your mind right now?

Yesterday's Tragedy

As most of you know, there were double tragedies in Colorado yesterday.  Interestingly enough, I was speaking (in part) about light and darkness.  I talked about how, during times of intense tragedy and pain like this (and Omaha, and Columbine, and 9-11, and the arson fire that destroyed a local church in our cmmunity).

After one of our services, a man shared this quote from Henry Blackaby, "If society, as a whole, seems to be getting darker and darker, it is not the problem of the darkness.  The darknewss is just acting like its nature.  But it is that light no longer dispels the darkness.  It is time for the light to say "if things are getting darker and darker, the problem is with us".

Here is a great quote on the matter from Perry Noble

Fire Update

Many of you have been wondering about the fire here in Lake Tahoe (about 25 minutes from us).   CVC (www.cvcwired.com) has been pleased to be part of the relief efforts, and to be "Jesus with skin on".  We're working with the relief efforts and have taken over 20 truckloads of water, food, clothing, and ice-chests, and other supplies up to the centers.  Many of our people are working on the fire relief efforts and we have had people connected with our church lose their homes.

Over time, we will be working with a local church partner in Lake Tahoe, Sierra Community Church for the long haul.  My experience with disaster relief is that the initial surge is followed by virtual abandonment of the area.  So, we're committing to the long haul in partnership with local churches and agencies like the Salvation Army.

If you'd like updated information, you can go directly to the CVC Wired Web Site and click on the fire update link.  Also, there are a number of news sites you can check out...here are 3 for some immediate connections:  KOLO TV, Nevada Appeal, Reno Gazette Journal

Thanks for your prayers...God is doing an amazing thing with the wind--WAY less than predicted yesterday and now we are praying big time today!

Randy Newman does, but I'm not so sure...

Randy Newman does (or at least did years ago), but I'm not so sure I do.  Love LA that is.

I'm here at LAX about 2 hours early for a flight...that's o.k. because I can do sermon preparation in the airport and LA is NOT a city where you want to cut it close on freeways/arrival time.   The bad news is the flight is delayed 45 minutes.  So for now, I get to Reno airport at 10, arrive home by 11 and to bed about 45-60 minutes later in order to get up at 5:15 a.m. for my Wednesday prayer group and a day that goes from that 6 a.m. start to an 8:30 p.m. finishing of our Life Team.  Still smiling....really!

Had a great time with my daughter Jennifer.  She's quite serious with a young man who we will meet in a few weeks.  I understand his mom may be a sometime reader of this blog so I'll keep the details secret (hi mom! :-), but suffice it to say...I am NOT mature enough for this kind of thing.  Actually had a very nice talk with my adult daughter who is making adult decisions and managing her life in a very adult way.  Did I say that I'm not mature enough for this? 

Also had a wonderful time with Glenn Gunderson....he is a dear friend and I enjoy every moment I'm with him.

Well...better get cracking on that sermon prep...can't wait to be at CVC-Minden this weekend...I've been busy teaching the last two weeks at Reno and Dayton...glad to be back at the Minden campus as we talk about shaping the spiritual lives of our children!

I feel kind of like Geraldo...

Do you remember the Geraldo experience years ago when he got all the camera crews (and publicity) together for a very public opening of Al Capone's vault?  If I recall correctly, there was nothing in the vault except some old worthless papers.

Well...today I had a similar experience.  I feel kind of like Geraldo must have felt.  I am here in SoCal to try to get the contents of Aunt Sallie's safety deposit box.

After about 6 months of talking, writing, notarizing documents, flying to LAX, driving to Ventura County to spend the night with family and then getting up at oh-dark-thirty to get through the traffic, finding a Starbucks, waiting in the lobby, notarizing more documents, waiting for the locksmith to show up...WE FIND OUT THAT NOT ONLY IS THE SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX EMPTY, BUT SHE CLOSED THE ACCOUNT ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2004!!!!!

So...am I smiling?  Sure.  I got to see my mom/sister/brother-in-law and her family.  I'm in another Starbucks waiting to see my oldest daughter who is performing here in SoCal on break from graduate school in Virginia (www.regent.edu) and I'll also get to see my good friend Glenn Gunderson, pastor of Pomona First Baptist Church (http://www.pomonafirstbaptist.com/)  So, yes I'm smiling.  I will be writing to the dear folks at Washington Mutual (WAMU) who have been deducting safe deposit box fees in 2005, 2006, and 2007 from Aunt Sallie's account AND who let me go through this whole exercise (including plane trip, rental car, TIME, etc.).  But I'm smiling....cuz I'll be doing sermon preparation in SoCal this week! 

But...I still feel kind of like Geraldo...

Starbucks--Chicken or Egg?

I'm in East L.A. this morning.  As a former Southern California native, that might mean something more to some of you than others.  East LA can be a rough spot.  I have to do some final work on my (Pam's) late aunt's estate at a bank here.  I came down really early this morning after flying to LAX and spending the night with my mom and sister/brother-in-law and their kids in Oxnard.  Got through the traffic, found the bank, and began looking for a Starbucks.

Now, I'll admit it right here.  I was being cautious.  Didn't know if I would find a Starbucks in East L.A.  And, true to form, I couldn't find one real close to where I needed to be (and no, I have not mastered all the techno-wizardry to use my Blackberry to find one).  But, I drove about 2 miles away and found one.  I immediately found myself feeling "at home" (yes it is equal parts coffee, environment, and wireless access).  It is amazing to me how much Starbucks "culture" translates everywhere.  I found myself asking this question:

"Is it the Starbucks culture that makes people "this way" or are people "this way" and Starbucks "found" them and attracted them here"??

Obvious implications for the church....we are a redeemed community.  How do we make it so that our people feel connected to Christ and to culture in such a way that those who are not redeemed are drawn into relationship with Him and with us?

Off to the bank now...just thinking out loud...

Reagan Reparenting

Another article from a while back--this one focused on DADS and our nation:

"Dad’s...YOU ARE NEEDED!"

    Every once in a while, I'll use the phrase "re-parenting".  I think of that when I meet someone who has had a really rough time in life and, most of the time by their own admission, could use some "re-parenting" to help learn basic relationship and life skills.  On the week of President Reagan's Memorial Service and all the media coverage, I thought about how President Reagan was responsible for "re-parenting"

America

during his term as President.  Four things I think that President Reagan gave us were:

1)  A clear set of convictions.  Even if you disagreed with the man, he was clear in his convictions and core beliefs. It seems certain that history will say that his convictions changed the world!

2)  A strong sense of hope. 

America

prior to Reagan went through a "malaise" period.  Reagan brought sunshine and optimism about the future.

3)  A belief in the value of human life.  Reagan constantly went to "the people" and put his trust in others and believed in their ability to grow forward with grace

4)  An uncommon grace in the moment.  Reagan could be comfortable with the wealthy and the poor, the powerful and the powerless.  He seemed to know what to say, when, and to whom (therefore the name, "The Great Communicator").

    DADS....these are the same EXACT qualities that we would do well to emulate.  We dads are needed for our own families…..to give a firm foundation of belief, a strong sense of hope about the future, fundamental belief about the value of our children and family members, and an ability to be what is required in the moment. All those are pretty tall orders and only made possible when we are rightly related to Jesus Christ..

Making Holidays Holy Days

Several years ago I submitted a version of the article below to local newspapers.  I've done this a couple times in different communities and have gotten good feeback.  I hope you enjoy it personally and would also be glad to give you permission to submit to your local newspaper if you'd like.  Make your holidays holy-days!

“How Do I Make My Holidays Holy-Days?”

Dr. John Jackson, Senior Pastor

Carson

Valley

Christian

Center (www.cvcwired.com)

            You know they’re coming.  You can feel it just as certain as the slight chill you sense each fall morning.  And when they come, you hope you’ll be able to hold on in the battle of time, diet, and onslaught of company to retain your sanity and sense of humor.  But isn’t there more to the holidays than all of this?  Is there any hope of making this year’s holiday season one full of peace, joy and happiness?  Can the holidays really become holy-days?  Here are a few tips that can make the difference in your household:

1)      Keep your focus clear.  Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is not about a turkey dinner(with apologies to grocery store owners).  Nor is Christmas about getting, or even giving, gifts (with apologies to retail store owners).  Nothing wrong with food (I love it!), nothing wrong with giving or receiving gifts (I love them too!).  But, the truth is that the first celebrations of these holidays had entirely different meanings than now dominate our thoughts. 

Thanksgiving celebrates the provision of God through the harsh seasons of the early years of the Pilgrims.  God supplied through the Indians, and through the work of the people.  Christmas celebrates the birth of the Christ child, given freely by God for the salvation of the world.  The early church took an existing celebration and used it to mark a moment of quiet awe at the gift of God.  This year, determine in advance that you will keep thankfulness in your Thanksgiving and awe in your Christmas.

2)      Do something to meet the needs of others.  The quickest way to break the cycle of destructive, hectic, holiday madness is to meet the needs of someone less fortunate than you.  When you participate in a feeding program, when you give clothing to those who need it, when you wrap a gift (new!) for a needy child, you break the cycle of self-absorption that our culture is so capable of fostering.  And by the way…if you have children—make sure they participate with you.  Children are uniquely susceptible to the self-absorption of our time.  And, children are uniquely able to understand the difference between their heightened sense of “want” at this time of year and the very real “need” of others when they see it up close and personal. 

3)      Participate in a meaningful holy-day observance.  I know you may not be religious.   But, the holy-days have a way of providing meaning and value to life that is often absent in the rush of our world.  Take time this season to be with people of faith.  Share some moments where you can hear the Christmas story in all the wonder and awe of the first century.   Risk a moment of faith in your hurry up world.  See with awe and majesty what God can do when you risk a single step.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)