What makes us happy?

I heard a sermon on Saturday night about a Christian's search for happiness, and it got me thinking...What makes me happy? What makes me happy deep down in my soul on a level almost imperceptible and unexplainable? The answer didn't come as quickly as I would have thought.
There are many things that make me temporarily happy. When I read stories to the children in our Weekday Children's Ministry, and the children all pounce on me with hugs and thank you's, I feel really happy. It makes my day! I feel happy that I've ministered to those most beloved of God, the children. I feel happy that they openly show love and joy and all the things we adults have learned to suppress. It's a happiness that lasts a day or until something goes wrong and the joy is interrupted.
Walking through our prayer garden makes me momentarily happy. I love the smell of the rosemary bushes that flourish there. I love the stone bench, where I can sit and pray. I like to sit and watch the various critters flitting around the crepe myrtle. There are eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies everywhere. There are flies and gnats and all manner of other flying bugs. There are also birds - swallows, cardinals, pigeons, and the occasional blue jay. It reminds me that God is our creator and sustainer. I go back to work refreshed and content - and happy. But it only takes something like the internet going out or a telemarketer to bring me out of my reverie.

So, what gives me lasting happiness? Spending time with God, my family, and my friends leads to sustained happiness. Time with God in prayer, in singing, and in worshipping fills any heart with joy. When my mom and my sister and I all get together, I laugh and laugh and connect with so many memories. I also spend a great deal of my spare time scrapbooking family photos, staying connected with my family. Talking to my friends not only makes me happy, but also helps keep me connected to hobbies and interests.

I find that if I try to make others happy, it actually makes me happier. When I give in the name of Jesus, I always get more than I give. The scriptures tell us we are blessed to be a blessing. The preacher I heard on Saturday put it this way, "Happiness is not something you can pursue - it comes to you when you live in God's will...Only when we give him all of us can we truly experience all He is." That reminds me of a familiar scripture: "Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33 NLT) And that "everything you need" includes happiness!

Faith - Unplugged

I went to a service of worship last night. There were a lot of young people and children. There were a lot of older people. They were all singing and laughing together. There were no big screens. There was no powerpoint. The only reason for electricity at all was the overhead fans, lights and a single microphone.  The pastor was the only one with a jacket on. It was horribly hot. There were bugs everywhere - flies, mosquitoes, gnats. Yet, under the great arbor, there were no bug bites, no swarming flies, not a single mosquito. It's like they know - this is holy ground. A couple of cell phones went off - they seemed alien in these surroundings. 

Let me back track a little. There was a meal prior to the service. There was food - more food than you can imagine. The cholesterol police would have had a conniption fit. There were plates filled with fried chicken, deviled eggs (my personal favorite), mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, fresh tomatoes, and various other "potluck" things. Then there was a WHOLE TABLE full of cakes, pies, cookies and various sundries. And, of course, the wine of the South, sweet tea. Everyone ate their fill. 

Then we went to preaching! The amazing thing was that no one fell asleep. No one nodded off after eating all that rich food. Everyone was quiet, transfixed to the stage area. We sang with full voice. The choir brought us a lively rendition of a familiar tune. The host pastor stood to introduce the guest pastor.

As he began to speak, he was playful - teasing us about being "Southern" and the fact that we were Methodist and he was Baptist. He was a good speaker and had everyone engaged. As he delved into the letter to the Galatians, the preacher worked up to a feverish pitch - then hit us with the simple, straightforward truth - the gospel of Jesus Christ. There rose a chorus of amens across the assembly. Heads nodded in agreement. 

There were no trappings. No brass altar-ware. No paraments. No brass flower vases. No organ music. Just the Word and the people. That is all that we needed. There are those who would object to the informality of it. Those who would pharisee all the glory of God to death. Even here, I'm sure there are distracters.  People casting stones, and worried about specks instead of logs. People who are control freaks. People who drink too much. People whose marriages are in trouble. People who are judgmental, as many people accuse all Christians of being. In other words, there are normal people with normal lives, who all know they need something more. 

For over a hundred years, people have gathered at this place. The ground is holy, blessed by years and years of fervent prayers. The arbor stands as a focal point of the grounds. It is a beacon of testimony to the thousands who have given their lives over to Christ. It is a living anthem of praise to the many voices raised in worship to Christ our King. It is camp meeting, a step back to at least the 1800's if not earlier. A long-standing Methodist tradition, some say dating back to Francis Asbury himself, that still is relevant today. Youth, children, adults, and all ages gather together and welcome Christ into their lives. There are first time commitments and re-commitments, dedications, baptisms, and weddings that have taken place here over the course of the years. The tents have changed. The people have changed. The language has changed. The technology has changed. But, the main thing - the unveiled, life-changing power of Jesus Christ shows up, year after year, and THAT never changes. The gospel is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. And the third week of July, at Pleasant Grove Campground, the gospel is offered to all who are seeking. Jesus touches the hearts of all who come here seeking more, hungry for meaning in their lives. And we all leave changed, to make plans, circle the dates on our calendars and return next year, counting on the Spirit to meet us here.

To ring or not to ring, that is the question

Last night I arrived at the church early for a meeting. I sat in my car for awhile, thinking I would read or answer emails. Then I heard the most beautiful music coming from the belfry of my church. We have music playing every day from 5:00-6:00pm. It was so stunning, I rolled down the windows to hear better. I entered into prayer, as the music inspired me to do. And I was sad when promptly at 6:00pm, mid-song, the music abruptly stopped.
There are neighbors to the church who complain about the music. One says it makes their depression worse. Another says we are pushing our religious views on people who don't want to hear it. Hmmm. It is just instrumental music, so I'm not sure how that's pushing Jesus on anyone. Someone would have to recognize the tune and know that it was a hymn or religious song in order to be disturbed by its content.
I asked myself, "What would Jesus do?"  At first there was no answer. I searched the Scripture for noise and how it affected Jesus. I read how he would pull away from a noisy crowd to pray, but then he always went back into the fray to teach and to heal. The only "noise" that seemed to bother him was the questions of the Pharisees  and the clamor of the market at the Temple.
So, I didn't get much help from that. I had to pray for the answer.  I believe that I have found my answer: love everyone in Jesus' name. Love those neighbors in the name of Jesus. Love the church members that love the music. Focus all the attention on Jesus. Jesus would want us to live peaceably with our neighbors. Therefore, we limit the hours the music plays. Jesus also provided the most beautiful music for us to listen to over the sound system. It must not be silenced! We have decided that between 5 and 6 PM we have the best chance reaching the lost, as the cars often pile up at our intersection.
The psalms are constantly telling us to sing and praise. The New Testament gives us all hope that everything is in his care and we respond with praise. Paul and Silas were singing when the jail was opened and they were set free. Music is a vitally important part of our spiritual beings. It speaks to us on both the conscious and the subconscious level. Through the ages the church has been the source of many great and wonderful pieces of music that both teach and sooth. We need to keep singing his praise and sharing through our music. I started to build a defense of our music. I wanted to be ready for the next time the devil tried to silence our music.
I was all ready for the fight. But then something else hit me. The Lord himself says that the greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength AND to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Am I loving my neighbors? How do I love and accept their complaints and still keep the mission of reaching others for Christ? They do have a right not to hear the music, just as I have a right to play it. What would be the Christian response? I believe the compromise we have adopted was a loving gesture, and I pray it brought good will and good intentions to our neighbors.
At least for now, the music still plays on.....

I Need a GPS!

My husband recently downloaded a new voice for our GPS. It's supposed to be a horror voice, somewhere between James Earl Jones and Vincent Price. It's a low deep voice with elongated vowels that echo long after he stops speaking. I have affectionately named him Igor.
One day as I was driving to day camp at Pleasant Grove Campground, Igor was quite insistent that I go a particular route. I was dead set on going the route that I knew. So every time I strayed off course, Igor would grumpily say, "Let me consult my magic book." Then he would come back with new instructions from my current location to take me back to the route HE wanted me to use! He was quite aggravated with me by the time we got there and he said (it's true, I have witnesses!), "Arrive at this dreaded destination on left." Such attitude!
On the way to work yesterday, it occurred to me that it would be great if God would vocally give me directions for my course in life! I would put in righteousness as my destination, or God's will as my destination, and God's voice (think clouds and thunder!) would come over my iPod, car stereo, iPhone, telephone or computer! And you know God would never steer you wrong, so you'd be set for life! Why hasn't God thought of this? He could set up a facebook account and nudge me when I go astray! Life would be so much easier if God's plan for me was that easy to understand and follow.
The great nineteenth century British preacher C.H. Spurgeon explains why God doesn't make it too easy on us.

He will be my guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14 KJV

We need a guide. Sometimes we would give all that we have to be told exactly what to do and where to turn. We are willing to do right, but we do not know which one of two roads we are to follow. Oh, for a guide! The Lord our God condescends to serve us as guide. He knows the way and will pilot us along it till we reach our journey's end in peace. Surely we do not desire more infallible direction. Let us place ourselves absolutely under His guidance, and we shall never miss our way. Let us make Him our God, and we shall find Him our guide. If we follow His law we shall not miss the right road of life, provided we first learn to lean upon Him in every step that we take. Our comfort is that as He is our God forever and ever, He will never cease to be with us as our guide. "Even unto death" will He lead us, and then we shall dwell with Him eternally and go no more out forever. This promise of divine guidance involves lifelong security: salvation at once, guidance unto our last hour, and then endless blessedness. Should not each one seek this in youth, rejoice in it in middle life, and repose in it in old age? This day let us look up for guidance before we trust ourselves out-of-doors.

 He makes it sound so simple! Actually it is simple, but it is not easy. God doesn't yell at us when we do wrong. He speaks to us in our innermost being, coming as a still small voice that we have to look for, wait for, and listen for. As Spurgeon says, we have to look up for guidance before we trust ourselves to leave the house! There is a GPS for life - it's called the Word (God), the Word Incarnate (Passion), and the Word indwelling (Spirit). With that GPS, who could go wrong?

Joy of the Lord

I have the privilege of starting each day with a walk down a long sidewalk right beside the playgrounds of our Weekday Children's Ministry.  The children all wave and say hello, the older ones calling out "Hey, Pastor Caren".  Some of them don't quite understand the Pastor part, so they call me Mister Caren.  It doesn't matter; I answer them all with a cheery hello.  It starts my day right. It makes me feel loved and that is worth its weight in gold.
Then I started thinking...thinking about how very many children in the world don't know that someone loves them. The ginormous numbers of orphans and abandoned children.  The children who are abused by the very parents that are supposed to give them unconditional love. It breaks my heart. I know it breaks God's heart, too.
All this political correctness and lawsuits, as well as the desire to protect children from predators, has made it practically impossible to hug a child. I have to wait until the child hugs me, and be sure there is another adult present as a witness in order to be in compliance with our church's safe sanctuaries policy. Most churches and schools have similar programs. The scouts require special training before a volunteer can work with them.  And unfortunately what is meant to protect children from predators also "protects" them from non-predators - the people who would give them a hugs or listen to them talk or read them a book or any number of things that would make a child feel safe and loved.
So how do Christians look after the orphans as scripture demands we do? There are actually many ways. We can partner with local schools to provide school supplies. We can provide weekend backpacks, packed with nutritious food for the children who go home to face hunger or homelessness. We can support foreign missions for and with children. We can revive the "trick or treat for UNICEF" program. We can participate in "Peace One Day" which works with local governments and helping agencies to declare a complete ceasefire on September 21, so aid workers can go in and immunize children against disease without having to risk their lives to do so. The myriad ways to support children are there for us to support with our time, our money and our commitment.
The Bible is full of admonitions for us to help the widows and orphans in our midst. When safe and secure, they are at least free to give and receive love. We can provide shelter, safety and healthcare for these children. Psalm 10:12-14 says,

Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O God! Do not ignore the helpless! Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, "God will never call us to account." But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans.

Obviously, God is committed to helping the orphans. I believe God is committed to every child, not just orphans. Some will read this and say, "Well, I don't know any orphans." For every safe and happy child you know, there is one who isn't safe or happy. They live in your town; they go to your schools; and they need YOU. Whether they are orphaned or not is beside the point. There are children right beside us that are starving, homeless, and don't know God loves them.
Wouldn't it be great if we could walk among them, get to know them, and help them remember how to play? It is my prayer that the playgrounds of the world would be overrun with happy children. And hugs would be contagious.