GOD’S APPEARANCE BRINGS US LIGHT

I began my ministry in the 1970’s in youth ministry, and often took youth groups on trips to various conferences and events. On one such trip, we stopped in Missouri at Meramec Caverns and took a tour of the caverns. At the very deepest part of the caverns (at least that is the way I remember it), the guide turned out the lights. If you have ever had such an experience, you know that there is nothing as dark as a being in a cave with no lights. It can be unnerving.

One of the adult leaders of our group decided to have some fun with the experience and began to laugh – out loud. Soon some in our group were laughing along with him. The tour guide was not too happy with this turn of events and threatened to end the tour. Even though we were trying to be funny, I think we were all relieved when the lights were turned back on. You don’t want to be left in a cave with the lights off.

As we come into another Christmas season, we would do well to remind ourselves of what John’s Gospel teaches us about Jesus’ incarnation – his coming into the world. He tells us that Jesus is the light of men. In John 1:5, he says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Allow me in my column this month to meditate with you on this idea.

We live in a dark world. In many ways, the world is far darker than the darkest cave. Jesus comes into that darkness to give us the light we need to make it through life. You can face any number of dark circumstances in life, from family difficulties or dysfunction to financial difficulties to misunderstandings with a co-worker or boss or person who works for you to any of the great challenges of life. It makes no difference what it is; Jesus comes to shed light that will enable us to handle our circumstances.

Jesus brings us that light because of who he is. This is the great theme of the opening of John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel shows us the real greatness of the baby born in Bethlehem. John does not tell us the story of Mary and Joseph the way Matthew and Luke do. He tells us who the child in the manger is. That child can bring light into the darkness because of who he is. So, who is he? Here is some of what John tells us:

(1) He is the Word of God. People have constantly wondered whether God speaks to us. Ingmar Bergman, about fifty years ago, produced a movie titled The Silence that spoke to this issue. It portrays the plight of three characters who do not hear the voice of God and who believe that God is silent. John says about Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word…” John states this as a continuing action, not as a past tense like we read it in English, and he intends it to mean that Jesus was born to speak God’s words to us. Through a baby born in Bethlehem, God was speaking to our world.

(2) He is God. Surveys show that although the vast majority of Americans believe in God, they are confused about the nature of God. John shows us that we can understand the nature of God by knowing Jesus. He uses two complementary phrases to state this: ^“the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In the first phrase, the idea is that Jesus is continually face to face with God. The second phrase directly states that the baby born in the manger is in his very essence God, just as he was human. It wasn’t just a baby sleeping in that manger – it was God. So if you want to know what God is like, if you want to teach people what God is like, show them Jesus.

(3) He is the Creator who gives us Life. The New Testament is clear that Jesus was present with God the Father in creating the world. He made it all so that we would have life (look at John 1:3-4). He gives us not just physical life, but a spiritual life with him – later in John’s Gospel, Jesus calls it abundant life – that leads to eternal life.

So meditate hard this Christmas season on who Jesus is, and show people the way to him. Someone wrote these lines about the light that comes into the world with the birth of Christ:

More light than we can learn,
More wealth than we can treasure,
More love than we can earn,
More peace than we can measure,
Because one Child is born.

Witnesses for Christ From Uganda

Last Sunday, I referred to an incident in Northern Uganda, a place Richard Stearns calls “the darkest place on the planet” that he has visited. Here is an abbreviated account of what he experienced there:

One day, Margaret, six months pregnant, was gardening with her friends. A group of boy soldiers – led by an adult commander – attacked Margaret’s friends and hacked them to death with machetes. The commander noticed Margaret was pregnant, so he chose not to kill her because he thought it would bring bad luck. Instead he told the boy soldiers to cut off her nose, ears, and lips, which they did.

Remarkably, she survived, and three months later gave birth to her son James. Margaret and James were brought to World Vision’s Child of War Center, where she received counseling and support to deal with her trauma and disfigurement.

Months after her son’s birth, Margaret saw the commander who ordered her mutilation come to the same rehabilitation center. Margaret was afraid for her life and also wanted to kill him. World Vision staff worked with this man to get him to confess to what he did. They also worked with Margaret to help her anxiety and explore the possibility of forgiveness. Weeks later the man asked Margaret to forgive him, and Margaret reached deeply to the source of all forgiveness – Jesus – and forgave.

This week I read about a group of children in Uganda who are shining into dark places and providing a witness for Christ. Chuck Colson tells about it:

“The children are members of the Mwamba Children's Choir of Uganda. Tragically, AIDS has taken the life of one or both of their parents. They grew up in an orphanage begun in 1998 by a Ugandan pastor. This pastor felt called to do something about the number of children being orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

“Sadly, the pastor died a few years ago, putting the future of the orphanage in jeopardy. His son, Daniel Mugerwa, and Daniel's younger brother, were scarcely out of high school; they had no idea how they could keep the orphanage going. But as Daniel told my colleague Stephen Reed, a family friend who attended his father's funeral heard the orphans singing a tribute to their late founder.

"’If you can get more people to hear these children's voices,’ the friend said, ’that could help save the orphanage.’

“So that's what Daniel did. As Stephen Reed writes in the HuntingtonNews.net, the brightly-dressed children sing ‘with a sound and a beat that grabs the audience.’ The choreography comes directly out of Ugandan culture. In a song titled ‘You Are Everything,’ the children sing:

"’You are everything to me/ My soul rejoices in you/ Your goodness, mercy and joy / All the world's so in love with you!’

“The song expresses their joy for God's mercy in their lives: Mercy in the form of loving adults to care for them now that their own parents are gone. Unlike many American children's choirs, these kids don't have to be reminded to smile as they sing: Their faces and bodies are bursting with joy.

“Their music is indeed helping keep the orphanage open. The choir is currently touring the United States. They have made two CDs of their songs, and are about to release a third.”

These “children of Uganda have so much less” than we do “and they've endured great loss-and yet their lives are a musical praise to God for His blessings.”

Where there is darkness, where the holes in our world are deep, the love of Christ can still shine bright and often does. I hope the story of Mwamba Children’s Choir will encourage you to let your love for Christ shine bright in this Christmas season.

God Appears In Our World

I grew up loving Christmas and have never grown tired of it.

For most of my adult life, either we have traveled to be with family for Christmas or they have traveled to be with us. This year it will be no different. We will have family in our home this year for all but two days from December 14 through January 3.

While growing up, it wasn’t that way. We were always home at Christmas. We could not travel at Christmas, and our extended family lived away from us. So Christmas every year was celebrated with our immediate family: Mom and Dad, my two sisters and one brother, and my grandmother (Dad’s mother who lived with us in the winter). We opened presents around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and then awoke early on Christmas morning to check out our gifts from Santa Claus — often gifts that were too big to be easily wrapped.

After opening presents on Christmas Eve, though, we sat around the living room as Dad took Mom’s well-worn King James Version Bible and read us the Christmas story from Luke 2. That became the highlight of Christmas for me. I don’t know if Luke’s account of the birth of Christ is my favorite story in the Bible, but it certainly ranks right up there.

I don’t remember the gifts I opened through those years, but I remember “The Gift of Christmas.” The gift God gave to the world is still the most important part of Christmas for me. I hope it is for you too.

This year I want to help you understand “Christmas According to John.” He doesn’t tell us the stories of Christmas as Matthew and Luke do, but he tells us the meaning of Christmas. It can be summed up in the phrase I will use as a theme for my December messages: “God Appears in Our World.”

John calls Jesus the Word. He says in John 1:1 that from the very beginning “the Word was with God and the Word was God.” This One who came into our world, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas is God himself coming to live among us.

John makes this clear in John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Make Christmas special this year. Let’s find out together how God made his appearance among us. John says about Christ: “In him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4). And he says so much more. You want to know that kind of person — and you can.

So, enjoy Christmas this year. I hope you enjoy everything about it, that you will meet the God who appears in our world, and that you will never grow tired of him.

Westwood Message–11/18/2010

Thank You’s

Thanks to everyone who helped with preparations, cooking, cleanup, and all the other details for the Harvest Dinner last Sunday evening, November 24. We had a number of guests, and everyone had an enjoyable evening. Thanks for all your hard work.

Christine and I would like to thank all of you who blessed us with cards and gifts for Pastor Appreciation Month in October. We are glad to be ministering with you and look forward to how God continues to work through Westwood’s ministry.

WCC’s 2010 Kids Christmas Play
“Toooooooooo Busy”!!!Sunday, December 19, 9:30 am Worship Service

Westwood’s children have begun practicing for the 2010 Kids Christmas Play which will be performed during our December 19 worship service. Between now and then, our elementary and middle school children will meet downstairs for the entire worship service each Sunday for a class and play practice.

Christmas Decorating Set for December 3 & 4

Christine Henes will supervise “Hanging of the Greens” at the church on December 3 and 4 starting at 9 am. She needs Middle and High School youth, and men and women to assist in a variety of ways:

1. Set up of 2 long tables on the platform on Friday am and removed and put away Saturday afternoon, the 4th.

2. Individuals to donate fresh cut cedar, pine greens and red twig dogwood branches. I would like to have at least 2 yard bags full of evergreens Please have these bagged and at the church on Friday, December 3.

3. An individual to donate enough premade fresh evergreen roping to go around the double entry doors. Please deliver Friday December 3 am or Saturday December 4th am.

4. An individual to donate white outdoor lights to generously wrap the cross outside on Segoe Road.

5. An individual to wrap the Segoe Road cross in white lights on Friday December 3, remove and store them after January 6.

6. Helpers who will climb a ladder, fluff greens, and bows, assist in making arrangements, iron, pound nails, etc.

7. Helpers please bring scissors, pruners, wire cutters, iron, ironing board, glue guns, finishing nails, hammer.

8. Bring a sack lunch.

9. Work days will be January 7 and 8 to remove and store Christmas decorations.

Roger Wisegarver is Making Progress In His Recovery

Roger Wisergarver continues to make progress in his recovering from Guillen Barre syndrome. Last week Brenda shared the photo below of Roger in his new wheelchair and of them the two of them with their new wheelchair accessible van. Both the wheelchair and van were purchased with the benefit for Roger, for which we took a special offering.

Brenda also sent us this thank you note:

Your continued prayer and generosity are appreciated by us so much!! You all have been a God send.

We will come visit soon.

Our Love,

Roger & Brenda Wisegarver

Upcoming Westwood Events

November 21 11:00 AM – Budget Presentation to the congregation
                      4:00 PM – Singing at Clare Bridge
December 5 11:00 AM – Westwood’s Annual Meeting
                   12:00 Noon – Keenager’s Potluck
December 11 9:00 AM – Christmas for Kids
December 19 9:30 AM – Children’s Christmas Program
December 24 5:00 PM – Christmas Eve Service
December 26 12:00 Noon – Potluck for Chardel
                                  Johnston’s Fortieth Anniversary

FINDING THE HOLE IN OUR GOSPEL

A study listed the top ten things people forget when they travel. The items listed include tickets, passport, extra socks, cash, medication, a toothbrush, and others. Have you ever forgotten anything when you travel? I suspect most people who travel can tell a story about going on a business trip, camping trip, or vacation and forgetting to pack something pretty important.

This month, I would like for you to consider whether you are forgetting something in the Gospel, and to consider pursuing a discussion on the subject with your congregation. Have you ever felt like there is something missing in your walk with Christ? This is the issue Richard Stearns develops in his very worthwhile book The Hole In Our Gospel. He explores the question “What does God expect of me?” He says this in the book’s introduction:

“The question, ‘What does God expect of me?’ is a very profound one – not just for me, but for everyone who claims to follow Christ. Jesus had a lot to say about it. Yes, He did give us deep insights into the character of God and our relationship with Him as well, but He also spoke at length about God’s expectations, our values, and how we are to live in the world. So how are we to live? What kind of relationship are we to have with a holy God? What is God asking for, really, from you and me? Much more than church attendance. More than prayer too. More than belief, and even more than self-denial. God asks us for everything. He requires a total life commitment from those who would be His followers. In fact, Christ calls us to be His partners in changing our world, just as He called the Twelve to change their world two thousand years ago.”

I discussed Stearns’ book in my September 2009 column. Since, then, a new resource has been published to enable congregations to have their own discussion of the themes of his book. Besides the book, you can use videos in which Stearns discusses his ideas, a small group study guide, sermon ideas for a six-week series, and other resources. You can access some of the material and order items in quantity at www.sixweekquest.com.

This is not the first time a writer has suggested we might be missing something of what God expects of us. Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah wrote that the people of his day were missing something vital to the heart of God, and God made it clear what he expects. Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Jesus also saw a hole in the faith of the religious leaders of his day. In Matthew 23:23, he said, “’Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.’”

Stearns’ ideas grow out of Jesus’ mission statement for his ministry as found in Luke 4 when he reads from Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth. There are three realms of life that the W.H.O.L.E. Gospel covers as seen in Jesus’ quotation from Isaiah 61. Jesus said he came to fulfill them and intends for us to find all three in how we live out the Gospel.

(1) The whole Gospel covers the spiritual – Jesus came to “preach good news to the poor.” We need to proclaim the Gospel to the spiritually poor, while not forgetting our own spiritual poverty. This is perhaps the easiest aspect of our mission to recognize.

(2) The whole Gospel covers the physical – Jesus came to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind. Another word for the Gospel is this sense is mercy. We are to be merciful to everyone who is hurting in life. We dare not forget this aspect of the Gospel.

(3) The whole Gospel covers the social – Jesus came to release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. This aspect of the Gospel calls for justice. The church must always work for the justice of oppressed peoples.

Consider digging into Stearns’ book and take the Six Week Quest with your congregation. Take a look with your friends at the make-up of the W-H-O-L-E Gospel.

Westwood Message–11/4/2010

Harvest Dinner is November 14 at 5:30 PM

Our annual Harvest Dinner will take place on November 14 at 5:30 PM. Plan to come and bring family and/or friends. You can sign up to come and eat, bring a pie, help set up, or help clean up and put things away. Sign up on Sunday or contact Chardel at the church office. Invite your family and friends to come and eat with you. We have invited the campus ministry family at Koinonia House with Wisconsin Christian Campus Ministries. The main meal will be provided. Plan for a great evening together.

WCC’s 2010 Kids Christmas Play

“Toooooooooo Busy”!!!

Sunday, December 19, 9:30 am Worship Service

Practice will begin on Sunday, November 14, 2010. Grade School and Middle School kids will meet downstairs during the entire worship service through Sunday, December 12. They will have a short lesson and then play practice following until the end of the service.

Practices will go through Sunday, Dec. 12. Parents, please send your children downstairs when you arrive for church each Sunday for these five Sundays. We will have only 5 weeks to put this together, so it’s IMPORTANT that the kids are at church for practices.

Sandy Polcyn and Kris Wales will be directing the play for the kids this year. If you have any questions, please ask Sandy.

We’re looking forward to working with the kids for Christ through Drama!

Sandy and Kris

New Roof for White Oaks Lodge at Rock River Christian Camp

Rock River Christian Camp needs volunteers to help tear off the old roof and to put a new roof on the White Oaks Lodge during the next two-three weeks. Please call (815-493-6622) or e-mail (office@rockrivercc.net) Leslie at the camp office to let them know if you are able to go and help. The roof may not survive the winter, so this project needs to be done before the cold winter weather sets in. The camp staff is willing to feed you if you are there over mealtimes.

Upcoming Westwood Events

November 13 - 7:30 AM – Men’s Breakfast
November 13 - 9:00 AM – Women’s Mug ‘n’ Muffin Fellowship, Church Office
November 14 - 5:30 PM – Westwood’s Annual Harvest Dinner
November 19 - 6:30 PM – S.E.R.I.O.U.S. Women
November 21 - 10:45 AM – Budget Presentation to the congregation
November 21 - 4:00 PM – Singing at Clare Bridge
December 4 - 10:45 AM – Westwood’s Annual Meeting
December 4 - 12:00 Noon – Keenager’s Potluck
December 11 - 9:00 AM – Christmas for Kids
December 19 - 9:30 AM – Children’s Christmas Program
December 24 - 5:00 PM – Christmas Eve Service
December 26 - 12:00 Noon – Potluck for Dick & Chardel Johnston’s Fortieth Anniversary

MAKE CARING PERSONAL

In his book The Hole In Our Gospel, Richard Stearns tells about a simple behavioral experiment conducted in 2006 by three researchers:

A test group of ordinary people was divided into three subgroups. The first read the story and saw a photo of a poor, starving seven-year-old African girl named Rokia. The second group was given a statistical portrait of seventeen million Africans in four countries who were desperately hungry because of crop failures and food shortages. They were told about yet another four million who were homeless. In other words, group two read about hunger and suffering on a massive scale. The third group was given the story about the little girl Rokia but was also given the statistical information given to group two. Finally, participants in all three groups were asked to donate money to relieve the suffering. Amazingly, the group that heard only Rokia’s story gave the most money. The group that was given the statistics about twenty-one million suffering people gave the least, and the group that received both pieces of information was only slightly more generous than the statistics-only group. The story of one child was more compelling than the suffering of millions.

People will depersonalize a large group of people and thus respond to them with far less compassion than they will when a person’s life circumstances become personal to them. When we realize this, we can better understand some of the appalling realities of our world and how the unthinkable becomes possible. Does this allow, for instance, for the Holocaust and the Rwanda genocide? Might this explain slavery — and how Christian people tolerated and defended it for so long?

As Christians we need to see beyond the mass scale of such tragedies and personalize such things as poverty by understanding that the lives of people are affected — not just large numbers of nameless people.

This is how Jesus saw people. Matthew 9:36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

So, as we discover “The Hole In Our Gospel” through the current sermon series, I encourage you to make poverty and disease and helplessness personal. Many of you are doing so by helping with our food pantry or ministering to “the least of these” in other ways. Get to know someone who is hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick, or in prison and care for them. God has rescued us from the helplessness of sin and calls us to care for people who need to be rescued. Make caring personal.

Westwood Message–10/28/2010

Clip More! Earn More! Box Tops for Education Support Mountain Mission School

DID YOU KNOW… that Westwood collects Campbell Soup labels and Box Tops For Education for Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia? There are collection boxes in the foyer for the labels and box tops. Labels and box tops have helped purchase many items for the Mission School. $1504.00 has been earned toward educational items with Box Tops so far in 2010.

Mountain Mission School reclaims the lives of seriously disadvantaged children. Since 1921, Mountain Mission School has cared for children born in nearly every state, the District of Columbia and many foreign countries around the globe. Sam Hurley, the founder of Mountain Mission School was himself an orphan in Appalachia, and many children with roots in Appalachia are served by the school.

Westwood has connections with the school: Ken and Christine Henes traveled to the World Convention of Christian Churches/Churches of Christ with the Mountain Mission Choir in 2004. The students were a blessing, demonstrating Christ’s love where ever we went. Marion and Marilyn Greaser’s son, Scott, served at the Mountain Mission School for a time.

Please save your labels and box tops to help support this important work. For further information on the school check their website at http://www.mountainmissionschool.org. Should you have questions about the project, see Marcia Larson or Christine Henes.

Harvest Dinner Is November 14

Our annual Harvest Dinner will take place on November 14 at 5:30 PM. Plan to come and bring a friend. You can sign up to come and eat, bring a pie, help set up, or help clean up and put things away. Sign up on Sunday or contact Chardel at the church office. Invited your family and friends to come and eat with you. The main meal will be provided. Plan for a great evening together.

Daylight Savings Time Ends On November 7 At 2:00 AM

Late afternoon – early evening darkness is coming to Madison beginning November 7. Don’t miss it. All you have to do to experience this annual phenomenon is to turn your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday evening, November 6. Then you will find darkness settling in one hour earlier the next day. It is all the result of daylight savings time ending for 2010.

Vote Next Tuesday, November 2

As you probably know from the many political ads that have been on TV and radio, next Tuesday, November 2, is election day in America. I just want to encourage you to vote. Elections have consequences for national and state policies, so be sure that your vote is counted.

New Information Available on Westwood’s Web Site

The Caller, our monthly newsletter, and these Westwood Messages are now available on our web site, so you can go there at any time time to check them out or send other people to the website who ask you about the congregation. They are on the Publications page. Recordings of the most recent sermons are also now available for download or for listening to online. God to the Sermon Recordings page.

There are also some documents on the same page that you can download to read about what we believe and teach. All of those documents can be printed to read for yourself or to share with others. Find out more about baptism, the Lord’s Supper, what kind of church we are, and other information.

Westwood Message–October 21, 2010

Great Communion – Great Day

We had a good crowd and spirited worship service for Great Communion 2 last Sunday at Mandrake Road Church of Christ. Here is some of what took place:

• Four singers from the gathered churches led an a capella worship service with everyone in full voice as they worshiped the Lord.

• We took an offering toward this year’s CROP Hunger Walk which took place on Sunday in Madison. The offering totaled $763.00.

• The preachers from the four churches, Roy Ratcliff from Mandrake Road Church of Christ, Lance Hawley from Emmaus Christian Fellowship, Bob Lawrence from Community Christian Church, and I shared a message from Ephesians 4 on “The Nature of a Unified Church.” We discussed (1) the church’s calling; (2) the church’s unity; (3) the church’s ministry; and (4) the church matures.
• We concluded the service with communion, following a thoughtful meditation by Keith Schoville on the importance of gathering weekly and taking the Lord’s Supper.

Everyone enjoyed the rich fellowship and worship in a full building. I can think of no more appropriate way for us to gather as sister churches than for us to discuss the theme of the unity that we all share in Christ. How should that unity cause us to live for Christ? It was good to think together about that.

I can also think of no more appropriate way to demonstrate that unity than to share together in taking communion. We remember the Lord’s death, of course, when we take communion, and it is his death that binds us together as brothers and sisters in his name. What an encouragement it is to know that other believers in our city are united with us in Christ.

New Sermon Series, “The Hole In Our Gospel,” Begins October 24

On Sunday, we will begin a Six Week Quest as I begin a sermon series, “The Hole in Our Gospel.” Through the series I will develop themes from Scripture that Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, develops in his book The Hole In Our Gospel.

A few years ago, Stearns found a “hole” in his Gospel as he struggled with a decision to leave his position as CEO of Lenox, the fine china company, to become president of World Vision, a ministry to the poorest of the poor in our world. He found that there was something lacking in how he was living out his Christian life. He identified the “hole” in his Gospel and sought to begin living out the WHOLE Gospel. We will explore that theme from the Scriptures for the next six weeks.

Harvest Dinner Is November 14

Our annual Harvest Dinner will take place on November 14 at 5:30 PM. Plan to come and bring a friend. Beginning Sunday, you can sign up to come and eat, bring a pie, help set up, or help clean up and put things away. The main meal will be provided. Plan for a great evening together.

A Rescue That Captured the World’s Attention

Last Sunday, at the end of the message we delivered at Great Communion 2, I spoke briefly about last week’s rescue of the miners in Chile. One billion people around the world, including me, watched on television and the Internet as the 33 miners were rescued from the mine where they had been trapped for 69 days. Those miners went to work on the day this drama began, as they had many days before, with no thought that the mine would collapse that day and they would have no communication with the outside world for 17 days.

Over the course of two months, their rescuers worked diligently first to drill a shaft down to the miners in order to establish communication with them. Then they painstakingly drilled a larger shaft that a capsule large enough for a single man to fit in. One-by-one they brought each man to the surface. Family and friends would greet each one as he emerged from the capsule and the miner would be taken for medical evaluation. As each one was taken away by the medical people, the men operating the capsule would already be sending it back down the shaft to get the next miner. They literally rescued those miners from a pit and brought them to safety.

That rescue operation is a good picture of the church. Medical people and miners all used their gifts to rescue people. That is what we are to do in the church. The salvation of those who come to Christ is far greater than being rescued from a mine. We are to establish communication with those who do not know Christ, and then work to bring them to the knowledge of salvation through Christ. When people are welcomed into the family of Christ, we are then to go back to work to reach others.. Christ literally rescues people from the pit and brings them to safety, and he uses us to accomplish this task. Let’s continue working to that end.

If you would like to read two good commentaries from Christian leaders on the Chilean rescue, you can find one by Charles Colson at BreakPoint and one by Mark Taylor, editor of Christian Standard at their website.

New Sermon Series at Westwood

“The Hole In Our Gospel,” Begins October 24

It began with a call to ministry with World Vision; it led to a world-wide ministry that continues today; it brought about an excellent book that challenges Christians to action; now it is coming to Westwood in the form of a sermon series that asks the question “What does God expect of me.”

After becoming president of World Vision, a Christian organization that ministers world-wide to the poorest of the poor, Richard Stearns found his view of being a Christian challenged and deepened. It led him to write a book he called The Hole In Our Gospel that challenges the church. The themes of the book have been developed into a Six Week Quest that we will begin on October 24.

The main thing that you need to know about the theme is summed up in this paragraph from the introduction to Stearn’s book:

“The question, ‘What does God expect of me?’ is a very profound one – not just for me, but for everyone who claims to follow Christ. Jesus had a lot to say about it. Yes, He did give us deep insights into the character of God and our relationship with Him as well, but He also spoke at length about God’s expectations, our values, and how we are to live in the world. So how are we to live? What kind of relationship are we to have with a holy God? What is God asking for, really, from you and me? Much more than church attendance. More than prayer too. More than belief, and even more than self-denial. God ask for everything. He requires a total life commitment from those who would be His followers. In fact, Christ calls us to be His partners in changing our world, just as He called the Twelve to change their world two thousand years ago.”

This series will challenge your thinking, challenge your actions, challenge your life. Come and discover the hole in your Gospel and learn what God expects of you.

A LIFELONG WALK WITH GOD

During a recent study of the life of Joseph, I also took a new look at the life of Jacob, his father. Jacob’s life not only influenced his son, Joseph, and prepared Joseph to become a great leader and a man who trusted God completely, he also shows the way for us to walk with God through the highs and lows of life. As such, he can also help us show people in the church and seekers that we influence for Christ how to have a lifelong walk with God.

Jacob certainly had some issues in his life. It began with his name which means “the one who deceives.” He lived up to his name as a liar and a cheat. Jacob deceived his father into giving him the family blessing that by all rights belonged to Esau. He then had to run from Esau, and ended up with the family of Laban who would deceive Jacob into a marriage with Rachel. Laban and Jacob would deceive each for years until Jacob finally deceived Laban one more time and then took his family and returned to Canaan. Even on that journey, Jacob’s family had plenty of tragedy.

To put it in contemporary terms, Jacob had a dysfunctional family. He reminds me of the people who come to God because their lives have been torn apart from difficult marriages to troubling children, from job difficulties to bad business decisions and relationships, from financial woes to hurt feelings. Even we who follow Christ face these challenges.

Yet Jacob had four memorable encounters with God that shaped his life:

(1) When Jacob fled from Esau and stopped for the night at Luz, he had a dream of a stairway reaching to heaven. There the Lord spoke to him and told him he would give Jacob the land on which he slept. The Lord promised Jacob, he would be with him and watch over him wherever he went. Jacob’s response was to name the place Bethel, “the house of God.”

(2) As Jacob brought his family to Canaan after leaving Laban’s household, he spent the night alone. That night a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, leaving him with a permanent limp. Jacob would not let the man go until he blessed him, and the man changed his name from Jacob, “the deceiver,” to Israel, “the one who struggles with God.”

(3) As Jacob and his family moved into Canaan, God appeared to him and told him to settle at Bethel. Once again God appeared to him at Bethel and told him again that he would bless him. Then Jacob changed the name of the place once more to El Bethel, “The God of the House of God.”

Despite the difficulties Jacob faced all through his life, I imagine these encounters with God stayed with him. Joseph surely learned about them, took them to heart, and determined to walk with God himself.

Yet Jacob continued to face his own troubles, including losing Joseph, his most-loved son, through the deception of his other sons. He finally had to make two decisions to send his sons to Egypt for food. The second one is especially difficult because the “prime minister” of Egypt demands that they only return if they bring the youngest son. Jacob sends Benjamin with them, making the difficult decision to trust God. The text in Genesis tells us he was once again called Israel.

(4) Then Jacob has one more encounter with God. He has found out his son, Joseph, is alive and is the “prime minister” of Egypt. When Joseph sends for him to move the family to Egypt, he sets out and spends the night at Beersheba, the southern-most point in Israel. There God appears to him again and promises that he will go down to Egypt with Jacob and will bring the nation that will come from Jacob’s family, back to the land of promise.

Most of us and most of the people we minister to will face difficulty and tragedy in life. We may face those things after we have walked with God and had some great moments with him. When the difficulties come, we need to remember those experiences. We need to teach people to remember how God has changed them. Our early days with God do not need to fade as distance memories. They need to constantly remind us, as they did for Jacob, that God will walk with us through all of life. Teach people to have a lifelong walk with God.

Westwood Message

Great Communion Coming October 17

Great Communion 2 will be hosted by Mandrake Road Church of Christ on October 17 at 10:00 AM. That will our Sunday morning service that day, and I hope you will plan to attend. The worship service will feature a worship service led by people from the four congregations attending and a message that will be delivered by ministers from the four churches. We will conclude the service with a time of communion together, and we will take an offering that will go toward this year’s Crop Walk, which will be held that day in Madison.

Mandrake Road Church of Christ is located on the north side of Lake Mendota at 4301 Mandrake Road, about three blocks north of Northport Drive. We will have maps and directions available at Westwood on Sunday. If you would prefer to have a ride to and from the service, please contact us at the Westwood office, and we will make arrangements.

Madison CROP Hunger Walk on October 17

Westwood had participated for a few years in the Madison CROP Hunger Walk. This year, we will be participating with a twist. We will be walking, but our fundraising will come from the offering taken that day at Great Communion 2. If you are going to walk this year, meet at First Congregational Church, 1609 University Avenue, Madison, at 12:45 PM on October 17 to register. The walk will begin at 1:30 PM. The Madison fundraising goal this year is $70,000.

CROP Hunger Walks help children and families worldwide -- and right here in the U.S. -- to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow.

Each year some two million CROP Hunger Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors put their hearts and soles in motion, raising over $16 million per year to help end hunger and poverty around the world and in their own communities.

And you are part of it!

Have You Seen the New Senior Citizen Cell Phone?

For our senior citizens: if you are looking for a cell phone that you will instantly know how to operate, here it is. No more figuring out how to make or answer a simple phone call.

TRANSFORMATION: It Starts In the Heart of One

I read two enlightening — and alarming — surveys in recent days about Americans and their religious knowledge and the effect it has on their lives. They are especially informative as we are currently looking at the theme of “Transformation” from Romans 12-15 on Sundays.

The article for one of the surveys had the headline over it, “Americans don't know much about religion.” The opening paragraph pretty well summed up the results: “A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.“

The survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life sought to test religious knowledge by asking questions about understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths and major figures in religious history. The overall result: Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers out of the 32 questions, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15.

The other survey, conducted by the Barna Group, had the headline, “Survey Finds Lots of Spiritual Dialogue But Not Much Change.” In summary the survey found that the explosion of communications devices and technology has substantially expanded public dialogue about religion, but that “has translated into very little change in people’s faith life.”

Only 7% of those surveyed said they could think of any religious beliefs, practices, or preferences they had altered during the past five years. By age, the most likely to have shifted their religious positions or practices were young adults (18 to 26 years old) at 13%, while the least likely were older adults (over 65 years old) at 3%. Evangelical or born again Christians were neither more nor less likely to change than were atheists, agnostics, and unchurched adults.

It is one thing, of course, to come to a conviction of truth about Jesus and then change your beliefs. Some people do in fact abandon Christian faith. It is quite another thing to have a conviction of the truth of the Gospel and not be able to identify or state basic Christian beliefs or to not have your behavior and lifestyle changed — transformed — by convictions about Christ.

Change in behavior can come at any age if the Gospel brings conviction to an area of a person’s life. Consider these polls. Be the exception. Let the Gospel continually transform your life.

Westwood Message

Where’s Your Passion

While in Colorado last week for a retreat for church planting leaders and for some vacation, Christine and I worshiped on Sunday at First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, CO. There are only three churches in this small town, and the Presbyterian church itself is small, but we enjoyed our visit with them.

The congregation was formed in 1869, and their building, which is affectionately known as the “Little Stone Church By the Stream” was dedicated in 1874. The congregation thrived in the 1870’s and into the 1880’s , but a period of decline followed. The Depression years were especially difficult, and they considered discontinuing services. But they persevered, with the church members even being asked to bring pieces of coal for the offering to help heat the building.

Today, the congregation has a bi-vocational pastor who has been with them for twelve years. They had a well-planned service that any follower of Christ could have worshiped in. The made us feel more than welcome, inviting us (almost to the point of insistence) to stay for their coffee and refreshments after the worship service. We stayed and had an enjoyable time visiting with several people.

The point of my relating this experience, though, is to tell you about the pastor’s sermon. His text came from one of Jesus’ stranger parables, the parable of the Shrewd Manager that you can read in Luke 16:1-9. It is the story of a manager who was wasting his master’s possessions. When the master dismissed this dishonest man, the manager, in order to gain favor for himself after losing his job, went to some of his master’s debtors and had them pay the master less than what they owed him. The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.

Jesus said about the manager, "For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Jesus commended the manager’s shrewdness, not his dishonesty. He calls for his followers to use what they have in this world to influence people for eternity. This calls for us being more passionate about eternal matters than what we are about earthly matters. We can be passionate about many things, but how passionate are you for the things of God and for helping people to know God? The pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, CO, made this point very nicely last Sunday. It is something important for us to think and pray about.

Great Communion Coming October 17

Last October, we hosted and enjoyed a Sunday morning worship service with other Madison Christian churches and churches of Christ. The service was well-received, and many people said we should do it again. So, we are going to do it again on October 17 at 10:00 AM. This year the service will be hosted by Mandrake Road Church of Christ. That will our Sunday morning service that day, and I hope you will plan to attend.

We are currently at work preparing a joint time of worship and a message that will be shared by ministers from four churches. We will conclude the service with a time of communion together, and we will take an offering that will go toward this year’s Crop Walk, which will be held that day in Madison.

Sermon Series on Transformation

Transformation: A radical change in form, appearance, or character. Transformation is not just a minor shift or a small nuance, it is a complete alteration of the state of something. Think about it this way…it is the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It is the process of yeast causing bread to rise in the oven. It is the process of a small seed developing into a giant redwood tree that is hundreds of feet tall. It’s transformation and that’s what we’re going to be experiencing throughout this new sermon series.

God is in the transformation business. He wants to transform us. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “We … are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” When we open ourselves up to God, we become open to transformation.

God wants to transform everyone into his image, but it begins with you and me. It begins in the heart of one. We cannot expect God to transform the people around us unless we allow him to transform us first. God wants to transform those who are not now followers of Christ. If we are not careful, though, we can think that God’s transforming work is for them, but it begins with us. In fact, the Scripture passages where the apostle Paul clearly calls for people’s lives to be transformed are written to Christians.

Our scripture for this sermon series will come from selected passages in Romans 12-15. Much of the great doctrine of the church is laid out by Paul in Romans 1-11, but in the closing chapters of the book he describes how we are to live in light of what we believe: we are to live transformed lives.

I hope you will come and find out in the next few weeks how God can transform you. Let it begin in your heart.

DEVELOPING 3C COMMUNITIES

Community Christian Church of Naperville, IL, has developed from a new church planted by college friends into a mega-church with multiple services on multiple campuses. In addition, they have developed The New Thing Network, whose mission is to be a catalyst for a movement of reproducing churches. They are a church worth learning from.

The mission of Community Christian Church is “helping people find their way back to God.” They carry out their mission by leading people to become 3C Christ followers. They define a 3C Christ follower as someone who is growing in three experiences: Celebrate, which is primarily about our relationship with God; Connect, which is primarily about our relationship with the church; and Contribute, which is primarily about our relationship with the world.

In their book, Exponential, Dave Ferguson, pastor of Community Christian Church, and Jon Ferguson, teaching pastor of the church, describe the history and strategy of the congregation and New Thing Network, in order to lay out their strategy for starting a reproducing church movement. Instrumental in their process of developing reproducing churches and movements is developing communities of 3C Christ followers that “focus on serving people and are able to reach people who would never walk through the doors of our churches.”

So what is necessary to reproduce such communities? In their book, the Ferguson’s present some ideas and philosophies that have worked for them. Let me summarize some of them.

(1) Believe That Acts 1:8 Was Meant to Be Accomplished.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus’ mission for the church as he presented it to his disciples was meant to be accomplished, and the Ferguson’s say it “can be accomplished.” Once we believe this, we will realize that “we cannot build facilities big enough or fast enough to keep up with what God wants to do.”

(2) Teach People to “Go” and Not Just “Bring.”

Most churches for many years have primarily used the “attraction” model of evangelism. That is, we encourage believers to invite people to church and we develop programs that will attract people to our services. While that is a legitimate way to reach people, we also need to find ways to go and reach people that will never come to our services and events, especially as our culture becomes more and more secular and resistant to the church. Community Christian even gives their people permission to skip their worship services to create opportunities to go and reach people. Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, in their book, And, suggest that both bringing and going are legitimate forms of evangelism for the church.

(3) Plant the Gospel Before Planting a Church or Starting a Group.

Communities of people on a mission “will go and live among the people with a readiness to serve them.” Author Alan Hirsch suggests that most churches operate from Ecclesiology (the church) to Missiology (the church’s mission) to Christology (the Gospel). Instead we should operate from Christology to Missiology to Ecclesiology. The early church started by planting the Gospel in people’s hearts and allowed the church and Christian communities to develop as people’s lives were transformed. We will need to operate with this model more and more in the future.

(4) Get Comfortable With Chaos and Failure.

Most of us who have served in the church for a long time will have difficulty with this idea because we have been trained to plan for success. However, the Ferguson’s say, “If we give our leaders permission to go out and start missional communities and churches that will reach people for Jesus, it will not be perfectly organized and it will certainly not be one hundred percent successful.” We should do everything possible to reach people with the Gospel, being willing to go outside of our comfort zones and take risks.

That is just a sampling of what the Ferguson’s suggest is involved in reproducing our churches and Christian communities. Their book is certainly worthwhile reading and learning from. Perhaps they can help you think through how to make your church a reproducing church.

TRANSFORMATION: It Starts In the Heart of One

As many of you know, in addition to my role as minister at Westwood, I also serve as Executive Director of WCMA, a church planting organization for Christian churches based here in Madison. Westwood has a stake in WCMA’s ministry as they support WCMA.

Along with other organizations and churches, WCMA is part of a networking initiative known as 10-10-10 Initiative. The name comes from the date October 10, 2010. Here is the way this effort is described:

“The 10-10-10 Initiative is a cross-denominational emphasis on the urgency and importance of starting healthy new churches. The 10-10-10 Initiative seeks to help 100s of ministries partner with 1,000s of existing churches to see 1,000,000s of lives transformed through healthy new churches.  The initiative seeks to serve networks, denominations, churches and individuals by accelerating the impact of how God is already at work through them.  10-10-10 represents the exponential power of “10” through multiplication.   10 to the 3^rd power is 1000.   Imagine 1,000 new churches birthed in October 2010  and thousands of existing churches unified on the call to engage in new church work.”

The theme for this effort is “Transformation: It Starts In the Heart of One.” That is, if 100s of ministries are going to partner with 1,000’s of existing churches to see 1,000,000s of life transformed through healthy new churches, it all begins with our own lives being transformed into the image of Christ.

Beginning on September 12, we will examine the theme of Transformation at Westwood through a series of five messages from Romans 12-15.

We will begin the series with two of the great verses in the Bible: Romans 12:1-2. Included in those verses is this statement: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In Romans 1-8, Paul explores the great doctrinal themes that hold the church together. Then, he calls for transformation in the life of the believer and explores the practical areas of life in which we must let God transform us. Let God transform your heart, so 1,000,000’s can know Christ.

Roger Wisegarver Benefit

 

Last night six people from Westwood traveled to Monticello, IL, to attend the benefit concert for Roger Wisegarver and to deliver Westwood’s offering toward his medical needs. It proved to be an excellent event with many very good results.

Facts About the Offering and Event:

Final Offering From Westwood: $3,595.00

Offering at the Concert (approximate) $11,000.00

Total Offering (approximate) $15,000.00

Announced Attendance 321

Reflections

Those attending from Westwood included Nadine Miller, Kathy Seman, Tom and Ann Sippy, Christine and I. We left the eastside of Madison at 1:30 PM and returned at 1:00 AM.

Roger and Brenda were in attendance, and Roger spoke to the gathering midway through the program. Some of you will remember the video of him being interviewed about how he is dealing with this disease and his recovery that we showed after worship in July. That video was played for the gathering and then Roger reiterated to the crowd some of the things he said in the video about how the Lord is taking he and Brenda through this challenge.

One of the neat sidelights to the event was that two of the men from the rehabilitation facility that Roger is currently in volunteered their time to bring Roger to the event.

The choir that performed the concert is a men’s choir formed from the Christian radio station that Roger moved to Central Illinois to work for. Roger had, of course, been singing in the choir until the virus struck. The general manager of the radio station with whom Roger became friends before going there to work, was the MC for the evening. He told me he would be going on the air this morning to announce the results of the benefit.

They hope to purchase a battery powered wheel chair for Roger with funds from the benefit. They hope in the coming months to raise enough funds to purchase a wheel-chair accessible van for Roger and Brenda.

Our efforts at Westwood to raise the money we did and to have a delegation at the event were well received. Thank you for giving generously in order to help a couple who are friends of all of us who have ministered here with Roger and Brenda.

This was the third time I have seen Roger since all of this unfolded at the beginning of the year. Each time I see him, I have observed noticeable progress in him. His attitude has been exceptional through all of it. He still has a long way to go in his recovery, so continue to pray for he and Brenda.

God bless,

Ken

WHEN EVERYTHING IS AGAINST YOU

Murphy’s law has become quite well known in America. It says, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Captain Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on an Air Force project, at Edwards Air Force Base in 1949, is usually given credit for it. One day after finding some wiring done wrong, he said about the technician responsible, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it." The contractor's project manager kept a list of "laws" and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law. Shortly afterward a doctor working on the project described the project’s safety record as a result of a firm belief in Murphy’s Law and their efforts to circumvent it. Soon Murphy’s Law was being used by Aerospace manufacturers in their advertising and began to be quoted in many news and magazine articles. It may have older roots than 1949, but the events at that time seem to be what has made Murphy’s Law an American institution.

Despite our belief in the power and work of God, even Christians can feel like Murphy’s Law is at work in their lives and in the church. We try hard to carry out the Lord’s work, but sometimes it seems like everything is against us.

One of the Bible characters who expressed such a sentiment was the patriarch Jacob. He had to run from his brother Esau and was deceived by his father-in-law Laban when he sought to marry Rachel and was given Leah instead. Then he had to give Laban fourteen years of labor to get Rachel. His favorite son Joseph was sold into slavery by Joseph’s sons, who claimed he had been killed. Then the land experienced famine, and his sons went to Egypt to get food, only to return without Simeon and to be told they could only return to Egypt for more food and to retrieve Simeon if they took their youngest brother Benjamin with them.

Is it any wonder when Jacob found out these facts about his sons’ trip to Egypt that he called up Murphy’s Law and said, “Everything is against me” (Genesis 42:36)? Until the family ran out of food again, he would not let his sons return to Egypt and take Benjamin with them. Enough bad already happened. What might happen next?

In the ensuing months, Jacob had no choice; he had to allow his sons to take Benjamin and return to Egypt. By then, he was beginning to face matters with God again at his side. This man had some great experiences with God in his earlier days when he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven with the Lord at the top and when he spent a night wrestling with God only to have his name changed. Now when everything is against him, his life changes and he begins to let God work in him. There are two clues in Genesis 43 to the change in Jacob:

First, his name Israel is used three times in Genesis 43. His name had been changed by God from Jacob (the one who deceives) to Israel (the one who struggles with God), but he continues to be called Jacob. His grandfather Abraham, on the other hand, had his name changed from Abram to Abraham and was always known as Abraham from then on. Now Jacob is referred to as Israel. When everything is going against him, he learns once again to struggle with God and let God work in his life.

Second, Jacob refers to God Almighty (Genesis 43:14). He asks for God to grant mercy to his sons so that they will all come back to him. Instead of saying again that everything is against him, he says, “If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” God can do his work whatever happens. Robert Candlish wrote about Jacob at this point: “The pilgrim of half a century is on his feet again with staff in hand, eye fixed once more on God.”

Maybe it seems like everything is against you as you serve God. Maybe it seems like everything is against your church and nothing turns out as it should. Those are the times when we need to struggle with God and remember that God Almighty is the one by our side. Take your “staff” in hand and fix your eyes once more on God. Call the church in times of difficulty to once again trust in the God who has been at work through all these years.

Westwood Message – August 5, 2010

Roger Wisegarver Benefit Concert

Last summer Roger and Brenda Wisegarver moved from Madison, where they were faithful and active members of Westwood, to their hometown of Monticello, IL. Roger began work for a Christian radio station in Central Illinois. Many of you know his story from there.

Then during the last few days of 2009, Roger noticed that his legs were beginning to feel numb. Days later, he couldn't walk. Upon diagnosis, the doctors told Roger and Brenda that Roger had what is known as Guillain Barre Syndrome. Guillain Barre is a syndrome where a person's immune system attacks a virus in the body, but then for some reason the immune system then turns and begins to attack the neural system as well. Within the first several days of 2010, Roger went from feeling numbness in his limbs to being completely paralyzed and unable to speak. Days later, he was on a ventilator, a feeding tube, and was unconscious. After several days, Roger woke up. Since then he has had an uncertain climb toward whatever recovery might look like this side of heaven. His story is that of a faith journey through difficult and uncertain times.

On August 29 at 6:00 PM, First Christian Church of Monticello, IL, Roger and Brenda’s home church and the church where they are now members, will hold a benefit concert to help with Roger’s medical expenses. As a support to Roger and Brenda due to their long involvement with Westwood, we would like to have Westwood help with this benefit concert in two ways:

(1) During the rest of August, we will accept gifts at Westwood toward the love offering to be taken at the benefit concert. You may make checks out to Westwood and designate them for the Wisegarver Benefit.

(2) Our leadership would like to invite you to travel with some of us to the benefit concert on August 29 to deliver the gift from Westwood and to offer our encouragement and support to Roger and Brenda. If you are able to make the trip, you can use the information tear-off in your Sunday bulletin to get us your name and the number from your family that will go, Just write Wisegarver Benefit somewhere on the form.

We will announce coordinated travel arrangements for the trip to Monticello later in the month. It would be great to have a good contingent from Westwood attend.

Is There a Piece Missing In Your Life?

Jack Harris, an 86-year-old retired man in England, spent nearly eight years working on a five-foot long, 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It took up his dining room table all that time. When he thought the painstaking process was complete, he stood back to admire his work - only to find one piece missing.

He searched his home for the missing piece, but has not found it. He contacted the puzzle’s manufacturer to see if they could provide the missing piece, but they no longer make that jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle would never be completed.

As our church has looked at the life of Joseph this summer as an example of a person who lived with integrity and forgiveness, there is an interesting counterpoint to his story — Joseph’s brothers. They had a missing piece in their lives. In the last half of Joseph’s story, he attempted to help them recover that missing piece.

In order to understand the piece missing from his brothers’ lives, we need to know what motivated Joseph’s life. We first find this key to Joseph’s life after he is tempted by Potiphar’s wife and says he cannot “do such a wicked thing and sin against God.” Then Joseph is given the opportunity to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker and then of Pharaoh himself. In each case, he attributes God as the one who can interpret dreams. When he reveals himself to his brothers after years of separation, he tells them everything that happened to him was so God could save their lives. After their father, Jacob, dies, he reinforces that to his brothers. Joseph put God at the center of everything in his life.

In contrast, his brothers first think of God when they are in trouble. Returning home from buying food in Egypt, they find their money for buying the food is still in their sacks. Their response is to ask, “What is this that God has done to us?” For the first time, as far as we know, they acknowledge God because he had been missing in their lives for all those years.

So here is my question to you in this brief piece: Is God missing in your life? Or, do you put him in the center of everything that you do? Is he at the center of every decision you make? Do you talk about him to people you know? I am not asking whether you are a Christian, but whether you integrate God into every corner of your life. If not, he is the missing piece in your life — and an important one at that!

A Good Summer Trip

I enjoyed a wonderful trip to South Bend, IN, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Nashville from July 4 through July 12. My first stop was in South Bend, IN on July 4 to spend an evening with Christine. She is at the University of Notre Dame for six weeks as she continues pursuing a Masters degree in Theology. Her classes are going well. When I was there she was at the end of her first two weeks of a three-week class. Now she is near the end of her first week of two more three-week classes, with just over two weeks to go.

On July 5, I traveled to Indianapolis to attend the North American Christian Convention where I also exhibited for WCMA, the church planting organization that I also work with and which Westwood supports. The theme of the convention was Beyond, as the convention program and speakers challenged everyone to go further in their faith than they have ever gone before. One exciting feature of the program was a performance for the entire family of the musical The Rock and the Rabbi, the story of Peter and his relationship with Jesus. I visited with many friends from across the country and a good number of people from Wisconsin’s Christian churches.

After the convention ended on Friday, July 9, I traveled to Cincinnati to meet our daughter, Nancy, and we traveled to Nashville, TN, to spend the weekend with my nephew, his wife, and daughter who live in Mississippi. We spent some great time together seeing some of the sights of Nashville, but mostly just visiting and catching up with one another. This weekend has a long story behind it, and the time was very well spent.

While I missed being at Westwood on July 11, we all attended the Harpeth Community Church in Franklin, TN, on Sunday before we all left the Nashville area. This is a relatively new church where I had attended a seminar two and a half years ago when their first building was under construction. I enjoyed worshiping there, seeing the completed building, and getting a taste for their ministry. I also pick up some new ideas any time I attend another congregation.

When we left Nashville, Nancy and I drove to her home in Cincinnati. I drove back to Madison on Monday, July 12, stopping to see Roger Wisegarver in his rehab facility in Champaign, IL on the way. I had not seen Roger since late January. He continues to make slow, but positive progress in his recovery.

RESISTING TEMPTATION AND HELPING OTHERS TO RESIST TEMPTATION

Many years ago on the island of Cape Hatteras, off the shore of North Carolina, there were men whose business it was to get ships to run aground on the shoals just off the island. These men were "wreckers" who made their living gathering up the parts and cargo of such ships. These men would walk back and forth along the shore with lighted lanterns at night. The ships’ captains would mistake that bobbing light for the stern light of a ship they supposed had found safe passage. They would turn inland and run aground. In the morning the wreckers would come and gather the timber for new houses, utensils for their kitchens, and money for their purses. It was a thriving business.

Followers of Christ have always been faced with “spiritual wreckers” who are far more dangerous than the wreckers on Cape Hatteras. These spiritual wreckers can ruin our lives and “run us aground” on the false values of the world. Traditionally the church has spoken of three types of wreckers: the world; the flesh, and the devil. They combine together to offer temptation to everyone, but especially to Christians, those who seek to live moral lives.

We need to help each other in the church to face these spiritual wreckers. Those who need the most help are our young people who go off to college. They face the most difficult years of their lives in regard to their moral choices. They can either have their faith affirmed while they are away from home or they can “run aground” in light of the moral choices they will have to make.

Such temptations are not new to today’s college-age population. One of the oldest records of a young adult who resisted temptation was Joseph, whose story of temptation is told in Genesis 39. I do not have room here to recount his story; I urge you to read it for yourself, especially if you are a young adult leaving home for college or work. However, in a recent study of Joseph’s temptation, I came across a list by James Montgomery Boice of six factors that make a temptation like Joseph’s so dangerous.

(1) The temptation was a natural temptation – that is, it appealed to a right and normal appetite. Some temptations, for instance a temptation to murder or steal, are not normal. A temptation to sexual sin, however, appeals to a right and proper and even God-given appetite or desire. Today sexual temptation comes at us from every direction in images and messages that suggest nothing can be wrong if it feels good.

(2) The temptation came away from home. A good home is a restraining influence on the behavior of children as they grow older. Thus the destruction of families in America goes hand-in-hand with the decline in moral values. This is what makes it so possible for good Christian young people to go away to college and fall into sin and away from God.

(3) The temptation came from an important woman. If Joseph pleased Potiphar’s wife, it would secure his advancement, but if he crossed her, Joseph would make her his foe and ruin his hopes. All kinds of people who are in positions of authority, including college officials, can tempt us and thus put us in the kind of bind Joseph faced.

(4) The temptation came after an important promotion. Joseph had been put in charge of running Potiphar’s household. Moments of success and advancement in college and business can make you vulnerable to those who would take advantage of you.

(5) The temptation came repeatedly. Genesis 39 tells us that Potiphar’s wife kept on trying to seduce Joseph. Sometimes Satan can wear down even the strongest believer by coming at us time and time again until our resistance is worn down by the repeated attacks.

(6) The temptation seized the perfect opportunity. Potiphar’s wife was very careful. She caught him when no one else was in the house. Satan often whispers to us, “No one will know…”

We will face temptation that we need to resist. As Boice suggests they will come in ways that make us the most vulnerable. Put yourself in a position to resist. Don’t let yourself fall to a temptation that can follow you for the rest of your life. Set up relationships in your life and in the church that will help you and others resist and thus maintain a positive witness for our Lord and keep us faithful to him.

Living With Integrity

It seems that fewer and fewer people live with integrity. Politicians intentionally distort the truth in order to gain support for their political positions and pet projects. People lie in the workplace, both bosses and those who work for them, in order to cover up for their own shortcomings. It seems like we regularly hear about celebrities who have been dishonest with their spouses or children. If it happens to them, it happens to many more people who are just not well enough known to have their story reach the news.

Sadly, it also happens with Christians. This week, Jonathan Acuff discussed this very thing on the Belief Blog of CNN with a piece titled: “My Take: Why Christians Are Jerks Online” (Read the complete blog entry here). Acuff writes his own blog www.stuffchristianslike.net and has recently written a book titled Stuff Christians Like.

Acuff makes the point that Jesus taught us the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Then, he asks these questions: “So then why are there so many hateful Christian blogs? Why do Christians write bitter messages on Twitter? Why do we send hate mail?” He offers two conclusions:

(1) The business traveler approach — Many people, Christians and non-Christians, are different people when they are away from home and no one knows them. Acuff suggests that Christians treat the Internet the same way, approaching it like the normal rules of their lives don’t count on the Internet. They write hateful things and portray unloving attitudes under the guise of “whatever happens on the Internet stays on the Internet.”

(2) Room cleaning Christianity — Acuff discusses how energized a college student will become about cleaning his/her room when a final paper is due. We do that, he suggests with loving our neighbor. It is hard to love someone who is not easy to love. So instead of showing our neighbor the grace of God, we get online and police people. We find small things to focus on that will distract us.

Christians, though, are to live with integrity whether we are in a different environment where no one will likely recognize us or when we notice the little problems in people’s live and become critical of them. That is, we are to be the same people and loving people in every circumstance.

Joseph was this kind of person. As we have begun to look at his life in my messages and our adult class discussion this summer, that becomes clear almost immediately. The stories we are studying about his life are captivating, but even more they demonstrate how to live with integrity in a world where integrity is often absent. You can change that: live with integrity.

North American Christian Convention is July 6-9

One of the great opportunities that I have most summers is to attend the North American Christian Convention (NACC). It is held every summer, usually in early July or late June, in a different city around the county and brings together 10,000 or so fellow believers from Christian churches/churches of Christ all across North America. In a conference-type setting, the NACC inspires and teaches through preaching, teaching, worship, workshops, and fellowship.

This year the NACC will be held in Indianapolis from July 6-9. Next year the NACC will again be in the Midwest as it goes to Cincinnati from July 5-8. If you would like to consider attending a NACC, check out the NACC website to learn more: http://www.gotonacc.org.

I get to see many people from around the country that I know at each year’s NACC. Most years, I exhibit for WCMA (the church planting organization for which I am Executive Director), along with ministry and mission organizations from all over the world.

While our congregation is a non-denominational and independently governed church, we are part of a network of such churches from around the world. The NACC comes out of that fellowship of churches, but is open to all believers in Christ. If you would like to find out more about our fellowship of churches, Standard Publishing has two publications available that will give you some good insights: “What Kind of Church Is This?” and “Simply Christians.” Check them out. If you would like further information on these two publications, please contact me.

Stephen Bilak – A Life of Service

We enjoyed having Pat and Nadya Oja update us at our church, Westwood Christian Church, last month on the mission work of Slavic World for Christ. That ministry was started many years ago by Stephen Bilak. Since Oja’s were here, the ministry has launched a new website that has a one page biography of Stephen’s life and how the ministry began and developed. Stephen’s story is a wonderful story of faith that you will enjoy reading. You can access it at the ministry’s website: http://www.slavicworld.net. Click on the picture next to the “How it all got started” on the home page to access the history and a gallery of pictures.

Westwood Message – June 10, 2010

Thank You Note From Oja’s

We received the following thank you note from the Oja’s who were at Westwood on May 23 to update us on the ministry of Slavic World for Christ and the Old Park Church in Ternopil, Ukraine:

Dear Brothers and Sisters at Westwood,

We are so appreciative of the kind and generous reception a couple of weeks ago when we visited! It was a great pleasure to be with you and we are very grateful for your interest and continued support of the work in western Ukraine. We look forward to our next opportunity to be with you and will continue to keep you updated on current events in Ternopil.

With much love in Christ,

Pat, Nadya, Evie and Jules

Birthday Card Shower for Wendell and Helen Smith

Wendell and Helen Smith’s 66^th anniversary is on July 24. We would like to shower them with cards for their anniversary. On June 20, we will have a basket in the church entry way labeled “Card Shower” that you can place your cards in. Or, you can mail your card directly to Wendell and Helen. If you need their mailing address, please contact Chardel at the church office: cjohnston@westwoodchristian.com or 274-0266.

Christmas in July Red Kettle Campaign

The Salvation Army will hold their Christmas in July Red Kettle Campaign from July 9-17 with 38 kettle sites throughout Dane County, including the Copps on Whitney Way. They have 1,806 two-hour shifts to fill.

The Salvation Army is experiencing a high demand for their services at this time due to the economy. They have set a goal for their campaign of $27,500. Last July we went above their goal of $25,000 by raising $38.295.

If you would be willing to volunteer for one or more shifts during the July campaign, you can contact Chardel at the church office, and she will get you registered. You can also register on your own at www.ringbells.org by setting up your own username and password.

Laufenberg’s Help Dedicate Flag Pole in the Town of Brooklyn

Lyle and Linda Laufenberg of Westwood are members of a Civil War reenactment group that participated in the dedication of a new flag pole in Brooklyn, WI on Memorial Day. Liberty Pole Hill Park, southwest of the village of Brooklyn, is the highest point in Dane, Green, and Rock Counties. In 1861, during the Civil War, the park became a gathering place for volunteers in the Wisconsin Infantry to register for enlistment in the army. From there, they would walk to Evansville, Janesville, and other places to begin serving.

The park’s flagpole was torn down by vandals in 1963 and not replaced until this year. The battery of which Lyle is a member was invited to participate in the flag pole dedication.

The event was featured in local news reports, including a report on WISC-TV in which Lyle was interviewed. You can access that story and video here: http://www.channel3000.com/news/23750282/detail.html. WKOW-TV also ran a story on the event. Their story and video can be accessed here: http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12571923.

Results From the Million Pound Challenge

We put out information at the first of the year about the Million Pound Challenge that would benefit food pantries in Dane County like our own. This was the first ever Million Pound Challenge. We have received information that the effort reached 624,424 pounds of food.