Ash Wednesday

Today marks the start of Lent, a season of the church year leading up to Easter. Lent is a time of repentance, reflection, and renewal that begins with Ash Wednesday.  Tonight we will have a worship service at 6:30 where we will receive ashes on our foreheads as a symbol of our mortality and brokenness. The journey of Lent is a journey to discover how that brokenness is healed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how we are made whole through him. I hope you will join us for this service of worship, or attend a service wherever you are if you are reading this outside of NWA.

As the first day of Lent, today also marks the day when many Christians around the world begin to either give up something or take on something for that 40-day period. It's done to focus our hearts on who we are in Christ and who we are called to be. For me, this year I will be taking on the challenge of reading through the Bible during Lent. I can't wait to get immersed in the Word for this season, as every time I read it there is something new. Just this morning, for example, I was reading in Genesis 1 about the creation of the world. The word good just kept jumping off the page at me as I read. That word is used six times in Chapter One as a descriptor for how God felt at each stage of creation.  "God saw that it was good..." is used over and over again, and on the sixth day when God looked over all had made, "He saw that it was very good!" I love that imagery of God being excited about us and the world he had created. We are created in his image and he loves us! We fall away from him, and Ash Wednesday is a reminder of that fall, but his love for us remains.

I hope you will join me in either taking on something or giving up something for Lent and moving closer to Christ on your journey. May these 40 days be a time of repentance, reflection, and renewal for you as you make the journey to Jerusalem with Jesus.

No Regrets

Bronnie Ware is a former hospice nurse in Australia who has written a book about her experiences caring for those who are in their last weeks of life.  The book is entitled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.  In it, she shares (you guessed it) the most often-heard regrets that people opened up to her about in their final days.  Here they are, along with some commentary from me:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.  Ware says that this was the most common regret of all.  As people came to the end of their lives, they looked back and wished they had followed their hearts and pursued their dreams.  So often fear gets in our way and we never take that step of faith into the adventure that God has for us.  I'm reminded of when Jesus came up to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee walking on the water.  There was a storm and the disciples were afraid.  Look what happens next:  "Don't be afraid," Jesus said. "Take courage. I am here!" Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. How often have we missed the exhilaration, the joy, the dream of walking on water because we did not have the courage to get out of the boat? (I highly recommend John Ortberg's book on this subject).
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.  This came from every male patient Ware cared for, as well as some of the women.  It's a powerful reminder to us all that work should not define us or become the be-all and end-all of our existence.  Balance is so key in life, and too many people make the mistake of thinking more work and more money leads to more happiness.  My first boss told me early in my ministry, "Make sure you take time for your family. There will always be work to do, but you only have one chance to watch your kids grow up."  I have always remembered that and greatly appreciated it (thank you, Rev. David Wilson).
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.  This regret has to do with honesty and wanting to "keep the peace" instead of making feelings known.  Ware says that many end up with bitterness and resentment after a lifetime of suppressing their feelings instead of, as the apostle Paul says, speaking the truth in love.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.  "There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort they deserved," writes Ware.  We were created to be in relationship, and walking this journey of life is too difficult to do it alone. We all need people around us who offer unconditional love, companionship, a listening ear and an encouraging word. I believe the church should be a place where those type of friendships are nurtured, a place where you can love and be loved, care for and be cared for, forgive and be forgiven.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.  This last one was surprising to me, as I had never given much thought to someone letting themselves be happy. The more I think about it, however, the more I can see this being an issue.  Jesus reminds us in Luke 12, "life is not measured by how much you own...A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

Thanks to the 2007 movie, we're now all familiar with the term Bucket List.  This book is just another encouragement to really give some thought to what's on yours and how you're going about making sure there are no regrets.  May God guide you as you seek to live a life of fulfillment in Him.

Penalty Flags in Worship

We are now only three days away from the Superbowl, and I'm sure many of you are gearing up for some big parties on gameday.  A few weeks ago a church member shared with me a great article by Tor Constantino taking a light-hearted look at what would happen if football and church collided.  What would worship referees throw penalty flags for?  Here are a few of them:

1. Unnecessary Worship Embellishment:  This covers a lot of areas such as being the only churchgoer counter-clapping in the clap gaps of everyone else during worship; over-harmonizing on every single song; as well as trilling up and down the scale like you’re auditioning for American Idol.
2. Roughing the Elements:  This penalty can only occur during communion Sundays and includes: touching multiple communion wafers before selecting one; letting babies backwash into a passing communal cup; expectorating on the platter of symbolic bread and wine; or taking a fistful of “host” crackers as a quick snack to tide you over till lunch.
3. Excessive Sermon Celebration:  While rare, young pastors and recent seminary grads are most susceptible to this infraction following a flawlessly delivered 3-point talk. The violation might be characterized by moon walking across the stage, chest bumping the worship leader, giving the youth pastor a noogie, or spiking the sermon notes.

What are others you might add to the list?  Send me your church penalty flag ideas on Twitter (@carnessv) and I'll retweet the best ones.  Don't forget to also follow Central on Twitter (@CUMCRogers) and like us on Facebook to keep up with all that's happening here.

The Oscars

The 2012 Academy Award nominations came out today.  There are nine movies nominated for Best Picture, and sadly I have only seen one of them, The Help (a great movie well worth watching).  While I hope to see a few of the others before the actual awards show takes place on February 26th, I'm certainly not enough of a movie buff to go see them all.

A few years ago the American Film Institute came out with their list of the top 100 movie quotes of all time.  I'm sure you know number one on the list - the famous line from Gone With the Wind, "Frankly, my dear..."  How well do you think you know the others?  Here it is if you're interested.  I was struck by #13, a line from Love Story:  "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  Really?  Love means that?  I'm pretty sure that even after almost 20 years of marriage, the love I have for my wife doesn't give me a pass on saying "Sorry" when I mess up (yes, I know it's hard to believe that I mess up, but it does happen from time to time!). 

The Bible teaches us how important the word sorry is for our lives; in fact, it should be a basic staple of our vocabulary.  The ability to admit wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness is crucial to us growing in our faith, whether it's how we relate to God or one another.  The idea that since we're in love we don't have to say we're sorry when we hurt the one we love is not Biblical and it's not healthy.  Sorry, Ali MacGraw.

The Tebow Phenomenon

I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and have been since I was a kid.  But this past Saturday night my family and I were glued to the television cheering for the Denver Broncos as they took on the New England Patriots in a divisional playoff game.  My son is actually a New England fan, but even he was pulling for Denver that night.  A more accurate statement would be to say he was pulling for Tim Tebow.  We all were.  Tebow Mania has taken the country by storm, and we found ourselves caught up in that storm the last few weeks.

Why?  Well, there's so much to like.  He's a strong Christian who is representing Christ in all he does.  He leads by example, and he not only talks the talk he walks the walk.  Even Rick Reilly, controversial sportswriter for ESPN.com had to admit this in a recent column shedding some light on Tebow the person (an excellent read worth looking at).  He truly is a great example of a person living out his faith while in a very public spotlight.

But does God help Tim Tebow win games?  In a recent poll reported on by USA Today, 43% of respondents said they believe that divine intervention has played a role in Denver's victories with Tebow at the helm.  I'm having a hard time getting my head around this, but here are my initial thoughts:

• If God is intervening during a football game to help Tebow win, what happens when he loses (as he and the Broncos did in spectacular fashion last weekend)?
• If God is intervening in football games, why do teams win when led by a quarterback who does not profess any faith in Jesus Christ?
• Aren't there any non-Christians on the Broncos and aren't there faithful Christians on other teams that win some and lose some?
• If God is willing to intervene in the outcome of a football game, does that mean God is willing to intervene in other ways around the world?  If so, why isn't he?  Why are there still famines and droughts, wars and conflicts, homelessness and poverty?

So, I guess I'm not one of the 43%.  I still love who Tim Tebow is and I celebrate how he lives out his faith in the world, I just don't want us to start thinking that when we "win" it's God's blessing and when we "lose" it's God's curse.  Remember, God's promise is not that every day will be lived on a mountaintop; God's promise is that he is with us every day, no matter the terrain.  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.Ps. 23:4

Update on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 8:28AM by Staff

Just this morning I found a quote worth sharing from a reader of the Rick Reilly article.  He wrote Mr. Reilly about the article, saying this:  I am an agnostic.  I don't know whether God exists, but, if so, I think that God would really like Tim Tebow.  I do too. (Gary Owen, Calgary, Alberta).  How about that for having an impact?!