EXPERTS

I am one of my denomination's experts on evangelism and reaching emerging generations with the Gospel. That isn't something I simply declared myself to be. It's something I have studied, done research on, tested, kept up with the literature, and written about.
My expertise does not come naturally, it is learned. It is motivated not by a desire to profit or prove anything. It is motivated by my passion for seeing new generations discover the truth of God's grace and transforming power. It is my desire for each new generation to have a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Expertise is not always the product of success, but it IS the product of experience. We often learn the most from our mistakes, rather than our victories. Expertise does not come from talking and proclaiming facts. It is preceded by careful and open-minded listening--particularly listening to those from the area that you are studying.

Expertise requires a certain amount of humility--because godly expertise is rooted in wisdom and discernment, both gifts of the Holy Spirit. It also requires the humility to admit that sometimes you have gotten it wrong, and you need to start over again listening and learning.

Experts live by Paul's admonition to young Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto a God, a workman not ashamed--rightly dividing the truth."

JESUS LOVES THE CHILDREN

"It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin." _ Luke 17.2

This is my friend Irv Steele. He is taking time out to hold a little Navajo baby. We both were working on the Rez at Tsaile AZ helping with Vacation Bible School. I love this picture because she is the picture of vulnerability. He is the image of tenderness. This may be one of my fondest memories from this mission trip.

Recently I worked in our Youth Camp where I met some kids with a great burden. They were part of the foster care system. Most of them had entered the system because of parents who were abusive, addicted, or who had simply abandoned them. Many of them had been further traumatized because of foster families who had taken them in for all the wrong reasons. One boy, who thought his family wanted him, had just been sent to another home because the wife was expecting and now that they would have children of their own--they didn't need him any more.

And daily I see kids in our own community who are troubled, searching, struggling because of parents who make no attempt to give them attention and boundaries, or who are so excessively discipling that they are crushing these kids' spirits.

Jesus was very, very clear -- a young life entrusted into our care -- is a life that belongs to Him. It is a life He created and would go to the Cross to redeem. It is a life he watches over, desiring that child to be safe and to be able to follow His leading into being a mature part of His kingdom. It is a life for which we as adults will be held accountable.

Our personal ambitions, our jobs, our hobbies, our choices will not be excuses for allowing them to stumble, for discouraging their walk with Him, for not experiencing the full measure of God's love.

* This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the Good News ..." Luke 4:18

For those of you who have never traveled to Landisville, Pennsylvania--this is my desk at the church. A planner and a computer, along with my NIV study Bible make up the key tools of my trade as a pastor. Periodically, the telephone, more likely a cell phone. As long as I have these things near at hand I can do at least 50-60% of my work as a pastor. When one of these tools is missing, my work gets more complicated.

It's interesting that the Apostle Paul ministered for decades and had almost incomparable impact on the lives of so much of the world without a single one of these tools. Yes, before you correct me, he had the scriptures--most of which he carried around in his head. His scrolls would have been drenched with the first shipwreck.

His tools were not inferior to mine nor were they superior. They were simply the tools available to and appropriate for the times he was ministering in. I strongly suspect if he had a lap top, he'd have used it. if he could have downloaded the Torah and the Prophets to an I-Pod, he would have jumped at the chance.

What makes both of our sets of tools effective is not the technology or the convenience, it is the Presence. By that I mean, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Tools are man-made and always have a limit to their usefulness. But tools used by a man filled with God's Spirit take on a supernatural force. A memory, empowered by the Spirit--whether embedded in a human brain or in gigabytes of a machine--can be used to change lives as they connect people with the life-transforming Word of God.

So here's the question of the day--are the tools of your trade plugged into the Spirit?

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved.

ICE CREAM AND OTHER SIMPLE PLEASURES

This is a picture I'm thinking of keeping in my wallet along side pictures of my wife Dianne and my grandchildren. Ice cream. Scrumptuous, laden with sugar -- a pleasure to behold and an even greater pleasure to devour. For many people, ice cream is the ultimate comfort food. And as I learned on a recent mission trip to the Southwest, the way to earn the undying appreciation of your fellow missionaries.

I have other simple pleasures -- a baseball game on a cool summer evening; driving with the windows down listening to oldies from the 60's on the radio; a 30 foot putt from the fringe that drops in the hole; an anonymous act of kindness; hearing someone repeat an idea I taught them as if it were their very own; a smile and a warm embrace from my wife Dianne.

We live in a high performance, success-worshiping, driven world. I am learning that all this really does is cause you to jump through hoops to receive affirmation that is soon forgotten, all the while you are being driven to any early grave. It's taken me 58 years to get to this point -- but I think I am finally getting it.

That's why Paul's words have become so important to me. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Living a life simply and confidently as God's man. Cultivating the humility and servant lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Finding my true self and my highest calling in simply living for Him.

This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved. Subscribe by email by contacting coglandisville@coglandisville.org or simply register on this blog as a follower.

I AM TRULY BLESSED

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33

Have you ever found yourself obsessing about your needs? There are bills to pay, issues to be dealt with, things needing repaired, boundaries to be re-established, financial and emotional margin to be restored? This has been a tough 2-3 months for me personally. Uncle Sam told me I owed him more money, more than I really had ready access to. Two car repairs that went over $3000 total. We were in the time of the year where we must provide the initial cash for our annual medical deductible.

On top of it, I was just plain busy. The church had just come through a very intense and emotional time of reassessing its priorities and making hard decisions so we could be more faithful to our vision. My counseling load soared and my emotional energy diminished. My putting game totally deserted me, making my one pleasant past-time less pleasant.

Those are times we stop seeking his kingdom and starting seeking a safe place into which to retreat. Personal concerns can rob us of our focus on God's Big Picture. We come to see each day as filled with problems to be solved (knowing they are not going to resolved very well) instead of opportunities to be the blessing God has blessed us to be.

But in the last 3-4 weeks, God has grabbed my attention. He gave me some awesome times at youth camp helping kids get their lives back on track. He sent some faithful prayer partners who lifted me before the throne of grace. He filled my heart and mind with several sermons (that I needed as much as anyone) on "Surviving Tough Times--Developing a Tough Faith." He provided a gift that helped with one of my most frustrating financial concerns. And yesterday, he sent into my office, a new person in our church who I have been mentoring who simply said, "You do not know how much of a blessing you have been to me, and to others here."

When we let God have our attention, when we seek first his kingdom and its righteous--God goes to work to cover the other bases for us.

This email devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen Dunn. All rights reserved. You can subscribe to this by email by contacting Patty at coglandisville@coglandisville.org.