listening

Not My Own

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more.” Mark 4:23-24 NIV

Today, God is moving in great and exciting ways, on college campuses, including Ohio State, Florida State, and most recently at Samford University in Alabama. But the devil is also at work in our society, stirring passions through social media, the speeches of politicians and television. Because we live in an age of such political and social polarization; we Christians need to be careful about what we are listening to and remember to whom we belong. In today’s passage Jesus tells His disciples to listen carefully and to focus on the spiritual meaning behind His words. Just as there was a spiritual meaning behind the teachings of Jesus, so there is also a spiritual meaning behind the words of popular figures, such as Bruce Springsteen, Tucker Carlson, Taylor Swift, and Candace Owens. I recall once when our church was going through a leadership crisis, a sectional elder of our denomination came to speak and what he said has stuck with me all these years, “What’s happening is NOT what’s going on!” So today, before flipping on the news, listening to a podcast, or scrolling through YouTube shorts, remember that our identity as a Christian is not with any nation, ethnic group, or political persuasion. Jesus explicitly told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest.” (John 18:36) God has given us a citizenship in Heaven, and if we are to carry out the assignment that Jesus has for us today, we must be careful who we are listening to. That means taking serious time every morning, not just to have a little talk with Jesus, but to spend a sweet hour in prayer. As Jesus admonished his disciples we need to watch and pray because events may turn in a moment that could change a life for eternity.

Learning to Listen

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. James 1:19 NLT

I wrote this article a few years ago about listening in nursing home ministry, but it is just as applicable in other kinds of outreach and even within our own families (a good thought to carry as we plan on Thanksgiving gatherings!)

When my wife and I were learning Portuguese, from our friends at the Brazilian church where we served on staff, we had to learn be quiet and pay attention as people spoke. One fun way we found was to join in during worship time. As others were singing around us, we tried our best, a tiny bit at a time to join them with our own voices. Then, little by little, as we increased our vocabulary and improved our dreadful accents, we were able to enter into conversations with our friends.

I have discovered that same kind of listening is important in nursing home ministry. It does little good and sometimes much harm, to simply come in with all of my own ideas of what I think people need to hear. Life in long-term care, whether it is assisted living, memory care or a traditional skilled nursing facility is entirely different from living in the outside world. Just as when we were learning Portuguese, it is hard for most of us to be quiet long enough to hear what people are saying. In spite of the fact that we have two ears and one mouth, most of us find that talking is far easier than listening! But only listening long enough to know the hearts of others, will teach us how to share the message of the love of Jesus Christ in a language that they can understand. So, lets close our mouths tighter and open our ears wider and ask God to help us to listen. And most of all, remember that our God, the Great Creator, the Almighty, the all-knowing Eternal God, stoops low to listen to our prayers!

In the Silence

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 
Luke 2:8 ESV

Have you ever wondered why God sometimes requires our silence? When I was small, my parents had a dinner table rule, “Children were to be seen and not heard!” Today, I realize that it was because they needed time to talk with each other after a busy day, but at the time I hated it! It felt like my mom and stepdad were only interested in themselves, and that we kids were second class citizens. So, when God asks for our silence, we might feel the same way, but it isn’t true. God is looking for us to be quiet so that He can tell us what is on His heart.

In fat, it was on that first Christmas, that God came in a moment of quietness to shepherds, who were watching their sheep. When God broke their silence, it was with the message of “Good news of great joy, that will be for all people!” In the darkness and the silence, God came to show us all, that He: the Good Shepherd, was watching over us, His sleeping sheep. Today, He invites us to come into His presence, in Heaven, where we will never be silent again, but there we will worship Him with shouts of praise for all eternity!

“In the holy hush of dawn – I hear a voice
I am with you all the day – Rejoice! Rejoice!”
L. B. Cowman - Streams in the Desert November 28