Lessons learned in 2020

The year of 2020 will forever be known for one thing - the pandemic of COVID-19. At the time of this writing, the Coronavirus has claimed over 300,000 American lives and over 1.64 million worldwide. While we are still in some of the deadliest days of the virus, there is hope on the horizon. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved by the FDA and is rolling out worldwide. The Moderna vaccine is close to requesting emergency use authorization and should be close behind. Both vaccines have shown to be up to 95% effective in preventing COVID. Side effects are temporary and minor. 

This 2020 climate of shut-downs, isolation, volatility, and polarization is not without its lessons. Lessons are not always clear nor easy to learn, but they serve a purpose to make those who pass them better citizens. Here is a list of lessons I have learned in 2020. 

• There are doctors who aren't medical doctors.
• We don't go to church. We are the church.
• People long for physical contact (handshakes, hugs, etc)
• Too many Christians see the church as the building
• Change is terribly difficult
• Self-control is a needed "Fruit of the Spirit"
• The truth has great value.
• Hypocrisy is just as prevalent today as it was in Bible times
• Other people view the world differently than I do
• People say things social media that they would never say in person

The list can go on and on. It was an eye-opening year. It's been said, that when the pressure is on, the true nature of one comes out. In many ways, it has been a sad year to see people's character be exposed. On the other hand, it's also been a joy to see some respond to 2020 with empathy, love, and compassion. 

What have you learned in 2020? If you made a list, what would be on it?

Unexpected Thanks

One of the first lessons a parent will teach their child is to say "Please" and "Thank you." It's a core cultural norm and good etiquette. "Thank you" acknowledges the action, thought, or gift. It also shows appreciation for the gift and the giver. 

Scripture speaks of saying "Thank you" in several verses:

• "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus told a parable about 10 lepers that were healed. He asked them to go to the priest to allow him to declare them clean. He was surprised when only one of the men returned to him saying "Thank you." And on top of it all, the man who returned gratefully was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. 

See the contrast Jesus highlights in this story? Not only did those we expected to be thankful not return, but the one we did NOT expect to return did come back, "praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan."

This past year of 2020 gave us little to be thankful for, yet as Christians, we can still find reasons to be grateful. As you approach the Thanksgiving holiday, keep in mind all the blessings you have from salvation in Jesus Christ to the promise of eternal life with the Father. 

Truth under Fire

The concept of truth has become under attach in recent years. It used to be entertaining when you would watch a sitcom where the whole premise was to spend the half hour covering up a lie. It was comical and harmless. How times have changed. We no longer endure dishonesty in sitcoms alone but we've come to accept lies in real life - from friends, family, and even from our leaders. 

It's a sad narrative that when a politician speaks, it has become necessary to "fact-check" his words simply because it has become so common that half-truths or even un-truths are spoken without blinking. 

Growing up we read stories like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," "Goerge Washington and the Cherry Tree," and the Pied Piper of Hamelin" training us in the value of speaking the truth. We watched movies like "Pinocchio" that showed us the consequences of lying. "The Emporor has No Clothes" is classic literature about how much more noble a child is in being honest veses an entire town who cloak the truth. 

Truth is the backbone of society. Without truth, anyone's opinion can be passed off as truth. Truth is important to community. Truth is vital to family. When the truth is washed away, lines are blurred. Guard rails are broken down. 

Did you ever get in trouble for doing something when you were a kid? You knew you were guilty. Your parents knew it. And then they ask for a confession. And remember what they said? "I would rather you tell me the truth than lie about what you did" They also said, "Your punishment will be greater if you lie to me than if you just own up to what you did." Why did they say that? Because they wanted to teach you how valuable telling the truth is. They wanted honesty to be part of your character. Of course this character comes straight out of the person of Jesus. 

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Understanding that Jesus is the way to God and the giver of eternal life makes sense. But what does it mean that "Jesus is the truth?" How can a person BE a principle? This metaphor takes some work to wrap our brains around. When Jesus says He is the truth, he is saying:  My words are truth. My works are truth. My plans are truth. My motives are truth. Everything about Jesus is truth. There is no deceitfulness, deception, or lies connected with Him. Jesus can be fully trusted. 

Where does that leave us today? Still striving for truth. Defending the truth. Sharing the truth. And may this be our prayer from Solomon in Proverbs 30:8. "Keep falsehood and lies far from me." 

Lost in these Uncertain Times?

Do you ever feel lost? Do you ever feel undecided? Do things seem uncertain and the future unclear? You are not alone. This year has been unlike any other. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, forest fires out West, hurricanes in the South, and political uncertainty have made us all feel we have lost control with no idea when it will come back. 

On top of all the events affecting our nation and the world, many are dealing with family issues, employment uncertainty, financial crunches, and health problems. These are tough times we are living in, there is no doubt about it. 

When you read through the Gospels (Matthew - John) in the New Testament, you read about the troubles, persecution, and problems Jesus and his disciples had to deal with. And while they are not the same as what we are experiencing in 2020, they were still a source of uncertainty and consternation. 

Yet, at the end of Jesus' three years of ministry, Jesus was able to say:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33 NIV

The context is different, written 2000 years ago, to Jewish men from their Rabbi, but the truth reamins real today. In this world you will have trouble. By defaut, the world, of which Satan is ruler, is a hotbed for "trouble." There is no escaping it. However, the good news is that amidst the world and all its troubles, we can have peace. A "peace that transcends understanding." A peace that comes from Jesus himself. 

The imperative is to "take heart!" How can we "take heart" while living in 2020, you ask? Remember, when we are weak, He is strong. Just like a toddler hiding behind his mama when meeting a stranger, we stay close to Jesus. Why? Because he says, "I have overcome the world." 

The key takeaway here is HOPE. If Jesus has overcome the world and Jesus is our LORD, we too, have overcome the world. We are with Him and our home is not this world. This world and its desires are passing away. Think of it this way. You've grown up in a woodshed and now you've been invited to live in a mansion. Your time in the woodshed is short and will soon be forgotten. Your hope is in what's ahead. What's behind is just a fading memory. 

Read more about hope.

• Revelation 21:4
• 1 John 3:2
• 1 Corinthians 2:9
• Romans 15:13

 

Waiting

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14

"I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

Bella waits late into the night

Our family dog, Bella, doesn't usually come into the house until everyone in the family is home and inside. She's been known to stay outside late into the night waiting for a family member to return. She isn't preoccupied with television or playing games on her smartphone. She just lays in the driveway or sometimes sits in a chair on the porch, laser-focused, staring at the road and waiting for the moment we return. 

Waiting for something is not a highly valued trait in our world today. We have surrounded ourselves with fast-food restaurants, microwave ovens, instapots, high-speed Internet, and streaming media. To be delayed is disturbing. Waiting at airline security, a doctor's office or on-hold can irritate us like a cat meowing at 3 am in the morning. How we have come to expect things to happen so quickly? Why do we think faster is always better?

It's impressive how patiently my dog waits. She is still and quietly waits for the return of her master. There's no clock. No deadline. She just waits.

The Bible verses above all correlate waiting with the LORD.  We are told to "wait for the LORD" and put our hope in His word. Why is this important? Because God's timing is not the same as our timing. We may ask for something now, but God says "wait" for a better time. Part of the reason God's timing is better than ours is that He can see the big picture. He has an overview of our entire life. We don't have that luxury. Another reason it is important to wait on the LORD, is that God is wiser than we are. He knows everything. Our knowledge is limited by our education and experiences. Since God loves us, He has in mind for us what is best. 

So how do we wait on the LORD? Here are some thoughts from the same verses. 

• Be still - Quit running after what isn't happening now. Stop pursuing it. In basketball, the coach will often say, "let the game come to you." Slow down. Stop. Let life come to you. 
• Be Strong - How does one get strong? Exercise. Work out. Strengthen your patience muscle. When you find yourself waiting for something, when it finally occurs, stretch your wait out a little longer. If you're waiting for someone, when they finally come, linger a little longer. Take a few more minutes whenever you find the opportunity to stretch your patience muscle. 
• Take Heart - This means to "take courage." As a warrior or a soldier, we are to be courageous and ready for battle. This goes right along with being strong, but this is more of a mental exercise. Being courageous implies having the faith to believe the wait is not just a good thing, but the best thing, and worth waiting for.

Patience is not easy. And it's even harder when those around you don't practice it. But waiting, especially "waiting on the LORD" is powerful and it pays off. Whatever you may be waiting on today - a relationship to appear or move forward, a job, children, marriage - know that God's timing is always best. Place your hope in God's word and Be still. Wait on the LORD.

Questions

Questions are a powerful method of communication. Unlike a speech, sermon, or monologue, a question is a 2-way road of open dialog. Questions involve give-and-take, back-and-forth sharing of words, ideas, and emotions. 

Jesus tells us to become as a little child. One of the attributes of a child is asking questions. Questions imply a certain amount of humility in admitting you don't know something. A child is always learning and one of the best ways to learn is to ask questions. 

Questions lubricate a conversation. Questions let the other person know you value their thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Questions take a dialog deeper and let the speaker know you are listening and are interested in what they are saying. 

Jesus often began his teaching with a question.

• "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
• "Can the blind lead the blind?"
• "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust...?"
• "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?"

Many times Jesus answered a question with a question. 

• "I'll ask you a question, John's baptism..."
• "Why do you call me good?"
• "Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?"

You may have questions today. Questions about:

• Covid-19 and this pandemic
• Work, finances, or retirement
• God and your faith
• Politics, the upcoming election, and demonstrations

It's okay to ask God questions. He is big enough to handle them. He will listen and he cares. In fact, He wants to hear your questions. Your questions indicate a healthy interest and involvement in spiritual matters and a valid desire to go deeper with God. 

Best Apps for Christian Living

Every year I like to share my list of favorite apps to assist your Christian walk. Our Christian life is one of growth and these apps help you do that. You will find everything here from prayer, preaching, giving, and connecting with your home church. Enjoy. 

Prayer Life - Echo 

Type your prayer requests into Echo and keep track of when you pray and when the prayer is answered. Create custom reminders for all or individual requests. Share your prayer requests with other Echo users. Make different Groups within Echo for various groups you pray with - church, family, small group, etc. Follow a Feed to have prayer requests instantly send to your list 

Bible Reading / Study - Bible 

The Bible app by LifeChurch.TV is the stand out all-around Bible tool. If you just want one Bible app, this is the one! Read in over 2,062 Bible versions in 1,372 languages. Make highlights, bookmarks, notes and more all within the app. Find a reading plan. Sign up for the verse of the day. Make Bible images and save them to your Facebook or Instagram page. Follow along with sermon notes in Events. It's one-stop shopping for free!

Memorization - Memorize Anything

You may think memorizing Bible verse is just for kids, but scripture itself says, "Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against God." It is imperative that we hide God's word in our minds through memorizing it. Memorize allows you to record the Bible verse and then begin removing words and phrases as you master the verse. Use pre-installed scriptures or make your own. 

Connect with KCC - Church Center

Keep your information up to date with KCC (or your home church) with the Church Center app. Explore and join Groups. See what Events are coming up. Manage your Giving. Check-in your children prior to arriving at the buidling. 

Sermons / Devotions / Podcasts - Faithplay

Discover and listen to messages from your favorite Pastors, speakers, and authors. You'll find Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer and so many more on Faithplay. Subscribe and catch your favorites every week or explore and discover new voices to increase your faith and Christian walk.

Child Sponsorship - Compassion

You may already sponsor a child on Compassion. Did you know they have an app now to keep you better connected with your child? Send and receive letters and photos right from the app. Learn about your child's home country and village. Engage in prayer. Send a Christmas or Birthday gift. If you don't sponsor a child, use the App to match you up with one today!

Bonus App - Nightsounds

You may remember going to sleep each night listening to Bill Pearce's soothing voice on the radio show Nightsounds. Even though Bill is no longer with us, you can relive those evening broadcasts complete with the original music on the Nightsounds app.